IEL Academic Module INTERNATIONAL EDITION By Donna Scovell, Vickie Pastellas & Max Knobel eae a Te) Ee) Sg Ue) Per Hm CECT Cem |404 Essential Tess for IELTS CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Do you want to study at tertiary level in an English-speaking country? What is IELTS? emer eee -Band Score descriptors How can this book help? What about the future?.......... Listening Sub-test Test description: listening section - Limits. - Possible topic areas - General pointers .... : - General listening advice - Dos and don'ts - Words / topics / phrases often used in listening questions - Question types - Immersion ideas ..... Reading Sub-test Test description: reading section ...... a Tigtite .eties Possible topic areas... - Words / phrases often used in reading questions ... = General pointers ws... z : ~ General reading advice ....nesninnn - Dos and don'ts ........000. - Suggested exam time plan for reading section . - Question types. 13-14 + Immersion ideas ............sscseieessssssnseee 14 Writing Sub-test Test description: aa section 15 - Limits .. is 15 - Possible topic areas and question types... naib) - Words often used in Writing Task 1 and Task 2 ‘questions. seeneennees 16 - Assessment. - - 16- 17 - General pointers ....... - General writing advice. - Dos and don'ts. - Immersion ideas .. Speaking Sub-test Test description: speaking section ........ - Limits . - Possible topic areas .. - Question types - General pointers........ - General speaking advice ... - Dos and don'ts - Immersion ideasContenrs GONTENTS con THE FOUR PRACTICE TESTS How to Take the Practice Tests... Essential Test 1 - Practice Test 1 - Listening... - Practice Test 1 - Reading........... - Practice Test 1 - Writing... - Practice Test 1 - Speaking Essential Test 2 - Practice Test 2 - Listening - Practice Test 2 - Reading - Practice Test 2 - Writing - Practice Test 2 - Speaking Essential Test 3 - Practice Test 3 - Listening - Practice Test 3 - Reading - Practice Test 3 - Writing - Practice Test 3 - Speaking . Essential Test 4 - Practice Test 4 - Listening - Practice Test 4 - Reading - Practice Test 4 - Writing - Practice Test 4 - Speaking APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Answer Keys reap x sone 84-88 Appendix 2 - Listening Tests Tapescripts .... 3 89-114 Appendix 3 - Score Analyser ...... Appendix 4 - Score Interpreter ...... Appendix 5 - Answer Sheets ... Appendix 6 - Glossary of Terms...... Appendix 7 - Adams & Austen Press Publications ..404 Essential Tests fr IELTS INTRODUCTION Do you want to study at tertiary level in an English-speaking country? Studying abroad is a very real altemative in the 21" century. Many more students than ever before, from countries all over the world, can access the world of tertiary education. It takes money for tuition: a commitment to succeed and an acceptable level of English, I you have the first two requirements ~ this book will help you with the third. If your goal is to be ‘accepted into a university or college in an English-speaking country, then read on. What is IELTS? ‘No student will gain entry into any reputable tertiary institution in any English-speaking country unless his or her level of English proficiency is deemed adequate. One of the few tests which is widely accepted for this purpose is IELTS - The International English Language Testing System — or as it is commonly known, the IELTS test. IELTS is an excellent indicator of English language ability because it tests the four macro skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking. The reading and writing sections of the test have two different versions ~ General Training Module and the Academic Module. You will need to sit for the Academic Module of the IELTS test if you wish to do undergraduate or postgraduate study in an English-speaking country. Even though it may help you to have a certain level of general knowledge before going into the test, the test itself does not require any specialized vocabulary or technical expertise. The correct answers can be found within the confines of the test and it is advisable for any student planning to take the test, to lear the skills needed to find the answers, IELTS tests your English level but it is still a test and like any test, there are skills that can be learned and practised in order to achieve the best possible result. The result may decide your future, For each of the four different sections or modules of the test, a score is given from 0-9. These band scores are interpreted as follows: ‘Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fiuent with complete understanding, Has fully operational command of the language with only occasional ‘Uunsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunclerstandings may ‘occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well 7 | Good User ‘Has operational command of the language, though with occasional } inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandinga in some situations, | Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning, 6 | Competent User ‘Has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly ‘complex language, particularly in familiar situations, 5 | Modest User Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to handle ‘basic communication in own field. 4 | Limited User Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language. 3 | Extremely Limited | Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. User. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur, 2 [Intermittent User | “No real communication is possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English, 1 | Non User Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a fow isolated words. 0 |DidNot Attempt | Noassossable information provided. ‘The Test (Source: http://wvrwielts.org/)Introduction You will usually receive your results in around two weeks after taking the test. Results are valid fortwo years but different institutions may not accept your results as being current if you cannot prove ongoing: English study. Check with the institution you are applying to study at. ‘© Your results will show a score for each section of the test as well as an overall score, You can get a half band score (4.6, 6.5, etc.) for Listening and Reading, but only full band scores (4, 5, 6, etc.) for the Writing and Speaking Sections. * You cannot pass or fail this test — you are always given a score. Whether this score is high enough depends on what and where you want to study. Check with the institution at which you are applying to study. You should also be honest with yourself about your English ability. Studying at university is hard enough in your native language, but to do so in a foreign language can be unbelievably hard. Most universities require a minimum overall score of 6.0 to enter an undergraduate course and 6.5 for postgraduate. This will, however, vary between courses and institutions, so check what your chosen institution needs. Ifyou don't get the required score in IELTS the first time, from May 2006 you no longer have to wait three months to retake the exam. However, itis recommended that you study hard for atleast 10 to 12 weeks before re-enrolling to take the test again. How can this book help? L It introduces you to the different sections of the IELTS Academic Module. 2. It familiarizes you with the instructions, language and question-types used in the IELTS tests. 3. Itimproves your English level by introducing you to new language structures and. reinforcing what you already know. 4. Itprovides you with four complete practice tests, which should be taken under test conditions, and answers to those tests. A Study Guide to the 404 Essential Tests for IELTS is also available for you to contemplate the reasons why you got any ‘answers wrong in these tests. The information contained in this book has worked for many students who are now studying at ‘universities in English-speaking countries. Ifyou are determined to succeed, you will need to: 1. read and practise the GENERAL POINTERS. 2. ensure that all practice tests are done under exam conditions. 3, familiarise yourself with the exam format. 4 immerse yourself in English as much as possible, particularly as you approach the exam date, ‘Some of the skills and language taught in different sections of this book will be referred to in other areas. For example, often the topics that are used in the reading and writing sections of the test are similar, Linking words (discourse markers) too, are not only useful in making a piece of writing more interesting — they can assist in finding an answer in the reading passages and help you to tune into an answer in the listening test. What about the future? ‘The skills you leam in the 101....404 IELTS range can help you to achieve the academic standards necessary to perform well at university. The tips and hints that you adopt to ensure you get the required IELTS result should become part of your study skills repertoire at university. But remember - the required IELTS score is only the first step on the path to success at an English-speaking college or university. A ‘good IELTS score is no guarantee that you will pass your course. It is, however, an indication that your English language level is of a sufficient standard to begin your chosen course ~ the rest is up to you.404 Essential Tests for IELTS eo TEST DESCRIPTION — LISTENING SECTION ‘You will be presented with four different listening passages with a variety of question types to answer. LEDEY Approximately 30 minutes Unlike the reading test, you will get extra time at the end to transfer your answers tothe Answer Sheet, There are FOUR distinct sections of 40 questions in total. You will hear each section ONCE only. Each listening is more difficult than the one preceding it. Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Usually a conversation | Usually a monologue Usually a conversation | Usually a lecture or between two people. | ofa social /functional | between two to four Speech given as a Sometimes a third nature, For example, people. Forexample,a | monologue. Sometimes: ‘person might be | an onting, a tour dialogue between two | the person is introduced involved or introduced | guide giving students regarding aby a second person at to the conversation. instructions or tutorial, an assignment | the beginning or a fow | Usually in two parts. | directions. Can be a ‘or oral presentation to | questions might be Can bea social oran | social or bbe given. Usually inan | asked during the course ‘academic setting, setting. ‘academic setting. ofthe lecturg. In an ‘academic setting. About 4 minutes About 3-4 minutes ‘About 4 minutes Atleast 4-5 minutes | sig tn stoning tine stoning tne txeing tine A monologue = one person speaking A dialogue (a conversation) = two or more people discussing a topic ‘The sections may be divided into two or more distinct parts. There may also be a pause in some of the sections to give you time to look at the questions relating to that part of the test, It is important to note that poor spelling and incorrect grammar will be penalized, so you should check carefully after transferring your answers to the Answer Sheet. POSSIBLE TOPIC AREAS: ‘Most of the IELTS listening tests are about social and educational situations. Often they are in an ‘academic context set on a university campus discussing student orientation programs (introductions for new students to courses or institutions), details of assignments, classes or tutorials or plans for ‘excursions, holidays or outings. The discussions might be between two students; a professor or lecturer and a student; or an administrator and a student, ‘The topics are usually of interest to students in their late teens or early twenties. There are information- Giving and information-sharing situations. As with the other sections of the IELTS test, you do not need to have any specialist knowledge to do well in the listening test. GENERAL POINTERS: * Become familiar with the instructions used to introduce the sections. ‘+ Read questions carefully and try to anticipate what you might hear. * Use a highlighter pen to highlight key words. + Think about and listen out for other forms of the key words and ‘synonyms. Learn to identify question types. Know your numbers and figures! Keep looking forward to the next two questions, so you know where you are in the listening passage. ‘* Don’t be distracted by anyone or anything — concentrate!Introduction GENERAL LISTENING ADVICE Read the questions before the start of each section and highlight key words. Listen out for linking words and discourse ‘markers to help you follow what is happening. ‘Check your spelling and grammar. Does the ‘word you have chosen fit grammatically, and should it be singular or plural? Look for synonyms.of key words in questions. Guess if you cannot find the answer. ‘Transfer answers quickly but carefully. Don't panic if you miss an answer. Don't guess any answers unless you cannot find the answer or evidence for an answer and your time is almost up. Don't listen for enjoyment - your purpose is to answer the questions only. Don't worry if you can't understand or hear ‘every word. Remember that the rhythm of spoken English means that the most important words are always stressed the most. Learn to listen for those. Don't leave any spaces on your answer sheet - ‘you don't lose marks for wrong answers. WORDS / TOPICS / PHRASES OFTEN USED IN LISTENING QUESTIONS: ‘The words and topics listed here are not restricted to particular sections of the listening test. Section 1 Section 2 Personal Details Information Giving ‘number sequences money, prices phone and faxmumbers | dates ecireates Giving directions postcodes maps ates before that ‘opening and closing | plus ee refundable deposit, eee non-refundable fast natin altogether 4in the moming til!6 | nctudes the $4 each way tonight single (ticket) jppeiatel poles, | £10 retum (trip) percentage % Wess Celsius °C cd Fahrenheit “F edad ecesae degrees the main street in the ‘double 6 (68) town’ teiple 7 (777) for up to two weeks fractions %% registration student number Section 3 Section 4 Information Sharing Information Giving drafts lecture Plagiarism | Taiko to bogin with seminar _s which leads meto tutorials ‘nother word tutor What 1 mean by that is lecture Te sumup vecnzer study guide ebooks cxientation resource series oflectures research aueto extension outtine cue date404 Essential Tests fr IELTS QUESTION TYPES: ‘The IELTS listening tests use a variety of question types which are described in the table below. -10- Sea sa Identifying types of Highlight key words in answers expected - what, | questions. why, when, etc, Identify answers that Listening for specific seem unlikely & then find information. ‘proof before eliminating them. Answer Questions 1-5 | Listening for specific Highlight key words, information. Listen for specific words Identifying parts of speech | but also ide: used and required. paraphrase, Complete Questions 1-6 | Distinguishing between _| Contractions are not by using NOMORE | examples and main ideas. | used when word-limits THAN THREE WORDS. | Identifying parts of are given. ‘speech. Dont use more than the Complete the following | Identifying discourse number of words table according to... | markers and signposting | allotted. Fill in the gaps .. (words that show you Look at given information ‘Mark on the map... what part the speaker is __to identify the type of on - e.g. First, next, then _ information required. etc) Scan given notes in Identifying headings and | summaries to frame your main ideas. own note-taking. Listen to the directions | Understanding Brainstorm any and choose the relationships between _| vocabulary or knowledge appropriate letter. Words (discourse that you have of the markers picture or topic. Label the diagram by Sequencing and following writing chronological order, Listening for specific information. ‘Study the table and ‘Understanding the Use a highlighter to Place the articles in the | relationship between separate different correct column. words. characteristics of Write A for Always, N. Listening for specific | categories. for Never and R for information. ‘Use given information to Distinguishing examples _ determine relationships if | rom main ides necessary. Listening for specific Identify the most obvious information. answers but then find Understanding cause and | proof before selecting effect. them. ‘Make sure you know haw words sound - say unfamiliar words aloud, don’t just read them silently. Listen to as much English as possible — listen to different accents including British English on the BBC, Australian English on the ABC and American English on Voice of America, watch DVDs in English. Use some of the following websites to listen to English: eS an CO0CCOIntroduction Oh TEST DESGRIETION - READING SECTION ‘You will be presented with three different passages with a variety of question types to answer. The texts are similar to those you would find in journals, textbooks and magazines. If technical words are used, a glossary will be provided to explain their meanings. 60 minutes including transfer of answers to a separate Answer Sheet ‘There are three passages of 40 questions in total. Each passage will contain between 750 to 900 words. Each passage is more difficult than the one preceding it. The different question types within each passage get progressively more difficult. Itis difficult to predict the content of the reading passages in the IELTS test but the topics covered in the reading section are often similar to the topics in the writing section. Remember that the IELTS test does not require you to have any specialist knowledge prior to taking the test and that, the answers will therefore be in the texts themselves — you just need to find them! POSSIBLE TOPIC AREAS: There are too many to mention - see topics in the writing section. Also, expect some scientific or ‘complex subject matter as diverse as mining processes and the effects of radiation or logging rainforests to industrial and work-related issues, conservation issues or transport. WORDS / PHRASES OFTEN USED IN READING QUESTIONS: Before taking the test, you should be familiar with all of the following words or phrases — according to the information appropriate classify consequences contradict correlation correspond, factors flow chart glossary headings illustrated by the diagram label mentioned summary or summarise theme GENERAL POINTERS: * Never read any text before looking at the related questions. ‘* Use titles, headings, underlined or highlighted words and diagrams as art of your scanning process. ‘+ Read the first and last sentences in each paragraph to locate topic sentences. Learn to identify question types. Think about synonyms, paraphrases and modal verbs. Remember the time-limit ~ 15 minutes per text should be your goal. Buy a highlighter pen and use it! The404 Essential Tests for IELTS GENERAL READING ADVICE : Donts Read the questions before reading the passage. Check if there is a glossary - use diagrams, highlighted words, titles and headings to help you get a general idea of the text Be conscious of discourse markers to establish relationships between words, sentences and Paragraphs. Use context clues and word-building skills to understand difficult words. Look for synonyms in the reading passage of key words in questions. Guess - if you cannot find the answer, ‘Think about which type of answers can be guessed very quickly if you are short of time (True/False and multiple choice, for example). ‘Transfer answers quickly but carefully. Don't start reading without knowing why you are reading. Don't guess any answers unless you cannot find the answer or evidence for an answer and your time is almost up. Don’ read for enjoyment - your purpose is to ‘answer the questions only. Don't deviate from your exam time plan. Don't worry about unknown words unless they are necessary. Dont leave any spaces on your Answer Sheet - | you don't lose marks for wrong answers. SUGGESTED EXAM TIME PLAN FOR READING SECTION: You have 60 minutes to complete the reading section of the IELTS test. You must transfer your answers to the answer sheet provided WITHIN THAT TIME, 0:00 Begin Passage 1 — start by glancing at the title, diagrams, pictures, headings, ete. ‘Then, read the questions and answer as many as possible. 0:15 Guess remainder of questions that relate to Passage 1, but put a question-mark beside these to remind yourself later that you have guessed these answers. 0:16 Begin Passage 2 - read the questions and answer as many as possible. 0:31 Guess remainder of questions that relate to Passage 2 but again, put a question- mark beside these to remind yourself later. 0:32 Begin Passage 3 ~ read the questions and answer as many as possible. 050 Guess remainder of questions that relate to Passage 3. 01 Go back to Passage 1 — try answering the guessed questions. 0:53 Go back to Passage 2 ~ try answering the guessed questions, 0:55 Transfer all questions carefully but quickly to the answer sheet 058 Use the remaining time to double-check any answers to the last few questions in Reading Passage 3 that you guessed earlier. ‘Remember that each passage is more difficult than the preceding one. Allow 15 minutes each for Passages 1 and 2 but give yourself 18 minutes to complete Passage 3. Remember, however, that you will have time to go back and check on your guesses at the end of the test — do not spend time checking your answers or changing your answers, Practise all tests using this formula. +12.QUESTION TYPES: ‘unusual. Choose the correct letter(s) OR Choose the correct letters for each answer and write them in boxes’ - Son your Answer Sheet. ‘Skimming for ger impression or gist. ral Scanning for specific (usually factual) information. ‘Understanding the relationships between words and paragraphs (discourse markers). A variety of question types is used in the reading passages and you need tobe familiar with techniques _ used in each. If any other question type is used, the test will include an example — however, this is Highlight key words. Eliminate other answers. Answer the following ‘questions with WO MORE THAN THREE WORDS whieh must be taken from the text. Write your answers in ‘boxes 6 - 10 on your Answer Sheet. ‘Scanning for specific information Use techniques to find answers to who, what, when, where questions. Highlight key words in questions and look for these key words or synonyms in ‘the passage. Always read headings first and then topic sentences (or first sentence in paragraphs). ees eeee cesar below choose the most impression or gist. ‘Do not resd whos) suitable heading for ‘DAERGTAED, Scions 1-9in Reading | entyng main teas |p, oo, complete in onder erat hen, Hl RC eh Og EE Choose the most obvious Answer Sheet. sentences. momeee na Roman numerals are often used: I, Il, Ill, IV, Vetc. ‘Understanding ssintbhstips Beton words and paragraphs Choose the most obvious (aooutte masters) [ator Paraphrasing and synonyms. Table continues on the next page... “13°404 Essential Tests for ELTS QUESTION TYPES continued: Typeof | Example of directionused | Skills needed ‘Test strategies question : Took at the following statements Look at the language used and indicate: 5 in the passage -is it __| TRUE ifthe statement agrees | Recognising negative or positive when eee viewpoints. Aiscussing the topic? Is it Se) PALS2” irene stacamont doar emotional o factual / Pe noc agree Recognising main | technical? fone | NOTGIVEN itthereis ideas. SPinlons | insufficient information in the Be careful of questions Passage. Tgerechieg that use broad statements Do the following statements information. Uae ahaa ‘agree with (roflect) the views of the writer in Passage 3? Making inforencos. | Make sure that you know Wiite YES, NO, or NOT GIVEN in the differences in ‘boxes 21-2600n your Answer Sheet. ‘meanings of modal verbs. Scanning for information. Using information provided in : Use a highlighter to Fassage 2 classy ce folowing | Understanding | (oeanvenlgnerse || Classifying | animals as Category A, B, or C. erWastiasiad diffrent categories in the Write your answers in boxes and passages text. 26-30 on your Answer Sheet. | (discourse markers), | Paraphrasing and synonyms: given. Use NO MORE THAN THREE Scanning for en aa RDS 2 information, mnt tise more than the Completing | WORDS to complate the number of words allottod. sentence sentences, sarienladisingy tables, flow | OF | ‘Check the question to see if it asks for your own RIE cx00s8 team tho lise of words Identifying parts | words or words from the ste | Given below tocompletothe | of speech, text | eeTAEY, | For summaries and clozes, Then, write your answers in Paraphrasing, make sure that you have 4 ‘boxes 11 - 16 on your Answer general understanding of ‘Sheet. Sequencing. the passage before Contractions are not used ‘when word limits are starting to complete. Information in summaries and clozes is usually in the same order as the Passage, IMMERSION IDEAS: q mas Read as much English as possible - buy magazines such as “National Geographic" iNewsweek" and “Time”; become aware of current social issues and discuss thom in English with your friends. Buy English newspapers. Borrow a couple of English science textbooks and try following some process descriptions. This will also help your Task 1 writing. Use some of the following websites to see what's current: wwwap.com wwwreuters.com www.news.com.au wwwienn.com — www.bbe.co.ukIntroduction GRIETION = WRITING SECTION ‘The writing section of the IELTS test Academic Module consists of two tasks — both requiring different skills, Task 1: Reporting on a given table, graph, chart, etc or describing a process, procedure and / or how something works. In some questions you will be required to compare two (or more) given sources of statistical-type information or data. [ETE] 20 minutes (recommended only) ‘Minimum 150 words (no maximum limit) ‘Task 2: Expressing your own opinion or an argument for and/or against a particular topic. In some questions, you may be required to put forward possible solutions or analyse problems regarding certain topics. You will be required to write one of five different types of academic essays. FEXEEY 40 minutes (recommended only) Minimum 250 words (no maximum limit) POSSIBLE TOPIC AREAS & QUESTION TYPES: Task 1: You should expect to see statistical information or data represented in tables, graphs or diagrams. ‘You will be asked to write a short description (160 words minimum) based on these representations, ‘As such, Task 1 will give you all the information that you will need to complete the essay. Remember that it is not really the topic that is important in this question, rather you will be judged on your ability to interpret the information from statistics. You should expect to see the following kinds of subjects - this list is not definitive: population trends immigration patterns leisure and sporting activities injuries or deaths ‘education choices food - fast food, diet, obesity ‘weather patterns including rainfall or lack of it economic-type statistics including cost of living, life expectancy, etc. ‘Sometimes Task 1 requires you to describe how something works or to describe a process. For this kind of task you should expect to see the following kinds of topics: manufacturing or sorting processes organisational charts food chains life cycles, ete. ‘Task 2: ‘You should expect to see tasks based on social, environmental and economic issues and concerns. ‘The following list contains topics that anyone entering university, at either a graduate or postgraduate level, would be able to discuss or have either an interest in or an opinion about: ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS such as: logging rainforests pollution the ozone layer ‘the Greenhouse Effect ‘whaling, excess packaging extinction of a species 15+408 Essential Tests for IELTS SOCIAL TOPICS such as: social welfare ‘unemployment effects of tourism on culture globalisation vegetarianism standards for safety in a variety of settings the impact or effects of technology on society ECONOMICS TOPICS such as: the development of third world countries developed countries giving aid to developing countries use of non-renewable resources to keep countries’ economies viable ‘You will also be asked to produce a certain style of writing to suit the task in question, which may include any of the following: Argument Cause and Effect Comparison and Contrast Advantages and Disadvantages (discursive) Report NOTE: the writing section is scored in full band scores, not half band scores. That is, you cannot get score of 6.5 in the writing, it will either be a 6 or 7. WORDS OFTEN USED IN WRITING TASK 1 AND TASK 2 QUESTIONS: to what extent evaluate to what degree analyse how far consider ‘what level of make recommendations describe explain discuss write a report write an argument write a case for ASSESSMENT: Knowing how your writing is assessed should help you to improve your writing skills for the IELTS test. Skills tested in both Tasks 1 and 2 * Spelling and punctuation should be of a standard that does not negatively interfere with the understanding of the essay. + The register, style and content should be appropriate and relevant for the task. * Grammar and sentence structure should show variety and maturity. * The question should be analysed and answered correctly - the task has to be fulfilled. +6»Introduction Additional skills tested in Task 1: ‘The following will be tested - the student's ability to ‘+ present information in a well-organised, easy-to-follow way. * compare and contrast information. * compare and contrast opposing arguments. + describe an illustrated process or procedure, ‘+ explain how something operates. ‘+ identify relationships or trends in data. Additional skills tested in Task 2: The following will be tested - the student's ability to * present opinions in a logical, clear way. ‘+ justify an opinion and exemplify appropriately. ‘* present both sides of an argument. ‘+ evaluate both sides of an argument. ‘+ compare and contrast opposing arguments Candidates are advised to ask themselves these questions after completing the tasks. Task 1- Is the information presented in a well-organised way which makes it easy to read and follow? Is the information compared and contrasted? Are relationships and trends identified? Is the process or procedure described clearly and systematically? Does the spelling and punctuation hinder understanding of the essay? Is the register, style and content appropriate for the task? Does the grammar and sentence structure used show variety and maturity? Has the task been fullfilled - did the student answer the question and complete the task? Is the length of the answer at least 150 words? Task 2- Are opinions presented in a logical, clear way? Are opinions justified and exemplified appropriately? ‘Were both sides of the argument presented? Were both sides of the argument evaluated? Does the spelling and punctuation hinder understanding of the essay? Is the register, style and content appropriate for the task? Does the grammar and sentence structure used show variety and maturity? Has the task been fulfilled - did the student answer the question and complete the task? Have you written at least 250 words? GENERAL POINTERS: * Learn to interpret questions and identify question types and writing styles. ‘© Practise and rewrite corrected essays. '* Decide which task you will do first and make this decision long before the test date. © tis important to understand that your writing cannot improve without much practice. “17+404 Essential Tess for ELTS GENERAL WRITING ADVICE Be mindful of the time limits. Don't use a dictionary when you practise your writing, as you can't take one into the exam, Read the question carefully and then check that | Don’t try to analyse the tables in Task 1, just you have answered the question correctly. describe the information. ‘Take time to plan the things you are going to _| Don't spend too long on ‘Task 1. You need to write. You need arguments and examples to _| allocate about 20 minutes to that, After that caoperivaia ieee: time, go on to Task 2, ‘Think about using linking and sequencing Don't use the same vocabulary all the time. ‘words to help your writing to sound more cohesive, ‘Leam different ways of describing graphs and | Don't use the same sentence structure and tables. linking words. Show your knowledge by using variety and complexity, ‘Make sure in Task 2 that you have time to write conclusion. Your answer will be incomplete without one, ‘The two writing tasks in the IELTS test are different in many ways and as such should be prepared for ‘and practised differently. The Study Guide for 404 Essential Tests for IELTS looks at the steps involved in the writing process for both tasks using concrete examples and sample answers, It include: guidelines that IELTS candidates can use to frame answers in suitable structure: IMMERSION IDEAS: 1. Do at least one piece of writing per week in examination-mode — start immediately and use the practice exercises given in 202 Useful Exercises for IELTS. Always be minaful of the time limits. Don't use a dictionary as you practise your writing - you can't use one in the test. 2, Become knowledgeable about the probable topics you will be asked to write about = particularly in Task 2. Discuss them in English with friends and build your vocabulary regarding these topics. 3. Familiarise yourself with different sentence structures; the passive voice and words (in particular, verbs and adverbs) that will aid you in completing the task. 4. For Task 1, find websites that give you statistical information, and try to interpret that information. ‘wwwforbes.com — www:morganbanks.com — www.un.org 18+Introduction 2 TEST DESCRIPTION - SPEAKING SECTION Many students find this part of the IELTS test the most daunting because it happens face-to-face with the examiner ~ there is no hiding. However, it shouldn't be an unpleasant experience and there are many opportunities to help yourself. For instance, you should be aware that you can ask for a question to be repeated. The interview is the shortest of the four tests and most candidates cannot believe how quickly the time goes, The one thing that you have to remember is that it is a spaaking test — if you don’t speak and make a deliberate attempt to show the examiner your ability, then the examiner has no choice but to give you a low mark. Most examiners want to give you a good score, but they will not do so, unless you communicate effectively with them. FAY Total interview time is from 11 - 14 minutes 3 parts in total Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Introduction / general Long turn ‘Two-way discussion between questions about yourself you and the examiner | The examiner wants to getto ‘The examiner will give youa ‘The examiner will askyou | know who you are and what card with details ofa ‘more difficult questions related youlike doing. He / she will particular topic. He / she will ‘to the topic in Part 2, The ‘alsotry torelax you sothat give you about a minute to ‘questions aro dosignedtotest you don't feel toonervous. ‘prepare for yourlong tum to ‘yourspeaking level. speak. ‘Relax- answer the questions ‘Take your time and speak Answer the questions as best ‘in full sentences. clearly and sensibly. youcan. About 4-5 minutes ‘About 3-4 minutes which ‘About 4-Sminutes includes preparation time POSSIBLE TOPIC AREAS: Part 1 topics are usually general in nature —_asking about you, your family, your interests, what you do, your study and what your future plans are. It is an introduction, so consider the type of things that an English-speaking person might ask when they first meet you. Speak clearly, Part 2 topics might focus on such topics as: - aparticular person such asa teacher you had in school, a famous person ora sporting celebrity, - a particular event like the Olympics or the start of the millennium, = aplace that you have visited etc. ‘There are prompts on the card to help you structure your long turn, so make sure that you use these prompts wisely. Don't ignore them. Part 3 is designed to test your speaking ability. The examiner will ask you questions that give you the opportunity to exhibit your range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Answer the questions as fully as possible and if you don't understand a question, ask for it to be repeated. NOTE: the speaking section is scored in full band scores, not half band scores. That is, you cannot get a score of 6.5 in the speaking, It will either be a 6 or 7. 19°404 Essential Tess for ELTS QUESTION TYPES: It is impossible to tell you the precise questions that will be asked in the Speaking Test but if you consider the type of speech functions that are being tested, you can prepare yourself more adequately. In the IELTS speaking interview, you should be prepared to * give information (personal and non+ ersonal) * summarise and analyse '* give your opinion and justify it * describe something or narrate an event ‘* explain and/or suggest something ‘+ speculate ‘+ express your preference for something ‘* check on comprehension + compare and/or contrast something ‘repair, maintain and extend a conversation. Impressing the examiner and increasing your band score: {tis possible to achieve an IELTS band score of § or above, if you have an intermediate level of English. (6 is often the minimum required for speaking for entry to any tertiary program.) A candidate who achieves Band 5 is described as a Modest User “... coping with overall meaning in most situations still“... likely to make many mistakes" but “... able to handle basic communication in own field Before undertaking an IELTS test, ask yourself if you can ‘* communicate effectively in English with your peers, * use some complex grammatical structures accurately e.g. all basic tenses, all conditionals {except perhaps 3" conditional), the passive voice. * insert discourse markers and linking words into your conversation. * manage to express most ideas without having to get new vocabulary from the dictionary. ‘* make complex sentences that explain and extend your ideas. * understand a variety of English accents (e.g. British, Australian, American, New Zealand, Canadian) * use appropriate conversational and cultural interaction in a variety of situations. Answering vas to all of these points, means that you have the ability to score a minimum § in IELTS, if your performance in each of the three parts of the interview demonstrates this ability. Inordler to improve your result, you must demonstrate the ability to carry out all of the speech functions Usted above, without making systematic technical errors — that is, grammar, vocabulary or (sentence) Structure errors that occur repeatedly. Systematic errors can be identified by practising for the speaking interviews, recording yourself, listening critically and evaluating yourself or getting your teacher to evaluate your performance. If you are making the same type of error, remedy the problem by doing some appropriate exercises. Do not take the IELTS test if you are making lots of systematic errors. Systematic misuse of prepositions, subject/verb agreement, plurals, articles and word order will alert the examiner to your specific language problems. Finally, remember that you do not have to speak perfect English to achieve a band score of between 5 ‘end above. However, you doneed to impress the examiner. A positive, confident attitude will help. GENERAL POINTERS: + Learn to speak clearly using appropriate vocabulary. * Practise using different sentence structures. * Practise paraphrasing — if you don't know a particular word, try to explain what you mean using different words. Get some strategies to repair the conversation if things go wrong. if you can’t think of a real situation to talk about, imagine one; the examiner doesn’t know or care if you are telling the truth, just that you are speaking. * Tis important to understand that your speaking cannot improve without much practice. +20:Introduetion GENERAL SPEAKING ADVICE ~ Dontts Speak clearly and answer in full sentences. Dont speak too softly. Look at the examiner and maintain eye contact | Don't give yes or no answers. ‘when possible. Ask for something to be repeated if you do not | Don't try to be somebody else - just relax and understand what you are expected to do. answer the questions as well as you can. ‘Take the time to plan for Part 2. Don't worry about speaking too much - the examiner will control the timing of your responses ‘Vary the words and phrases you use. Dontt try to give a rehearsed speech. Be well-mannered and respectful throughout _| Don't stop trying throughout the interview. the interview. IMMERSION IDEAS: 1. Become comfortable speaking in English — that means speaking in English as often as possible. Find friends or colleagues who will speak to you in English. 2. Practise the different parts of the interview with different people. Build your vocabulary ‘and discuss different topics. 9. Familliarise yourself with different grammatical structures — practise using difficult structures like conditionals and standard introductory phrases like: “Well, in my opinion . 4, Record yourself taking the practice test interviews and critically listen to yourself. If possible, ask a teacher or native-speaker to give you feedback on your performance. Focus on any systematic errors that appear. 5, Read about the speaking module in 101 Helpful Hints for IELTS and use the prepared ‘questions to practise your interview style.404 Essential Tests for IELTS HOW TO TAKE THE PRACTICE TESTS Before Taking the Practice Tests + Read the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking Test Descriptions provided in this book. Read and practise the General Pointers included in the Test Descriptions. Familiarise yourself with the question types, specialised vocabulary and test format ~ all provided in this book. Find a quiet room, Allow three hours to complete each test. Ensure that you are not going to be interrupted. ‘Take a highlighter pen, a pen or pencil and blank copies of a Listening Test Answer Sheet and a Reading Test Answer Sheet. + Take paper to complete the writing tasks ~ IELTS will provide special pages for this, on the day of the actual test. ‘* Take a cassette player for the Listening Test and a blank tape to use for the Speaking Interview. © Take a clock or a watch, During a Practice Test * Strictly follow the timings for all parts of the IELTS test ~ that means doing the practice test under exam conditions, ‘* Complete the test in the same order as they appear — Listening, Reading, Writing and then the Speaking Interview. * Allow yourself 10 minutes to transfer your Listening ‘Test answers onto the Answer Sheet. After Taking Practice Test 1 * Check your answers to the Listening and Reading Tests with those provided in the Answer Keys section of this book. : ‘* Model Answers and extensive discussion of all the writing tasks is provided in the Study Guide to the 404 Essential Tests for IELTS. * Critically listen to the tape-recording of your answers to the Speaking Interview questions ‘and answer the questions provided in the Answer Keys section. * Use the Score Analyser as a guide to determine your possible IELTS band score for each of the tests. After Taking Practice Tests 1, 2 and 3 Carry out the steps as outlined for Practice Test 1. Use the Score Analyser as a guide to determine if your errors are systematic. Focus on the errors that you are making ~ use the Study Guide to the 404 Essential Tests in conjunction with these tests; re-read appropriate sections from 101 Helpful Hints for IELTS or 202 Useful Exercises for IELTS. After Taking Practice Test 4 Carry out all of the above steps. ‘Use the Score Analyser once again to determine your possible IELTS band score for each of the tests * Enrol for your IELTS test. A motivated student, immersed in English and taking full-time intensive English classes, with support from an experienced teacher, should be able to improve by one full band scale in a ten to twelve week period. 22.Practice Test 1 Lay Neuiel=a ESL LISTENING Listen to two students, Louise and Kerry, talking about their vacation. Answer the questions below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. Example: Where did Louise spend her summerholidays? ... 1 How much was a Eurailpass Youth Ticket? 2 How many European countries did Louise's ticket allow her to travel to? .. 3. Did the Eurailpass Youth Ticket include the train from London to Paris? .. ‘How old must you be if you want to purchase a Eurailpass Youth Ticket?. Gro Complete the notes below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Points that Louise makes about Eurail: ‘+ _easy to travel to small towns . to meet (5) + __with times of the trains ‘© night trains had many is passengers Advice that Louise gives about Eurail: + Don't take (8) bags: = Be (9) with your belongings '* Spend enough time in each country to experience (10) 23+404 Essential Tests fr IELTS. Questions 11=16, Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Course Content & Assessment Advisors (11)... - counselling re: course selection = language support Research & Resource Department Study Skills Department a3) ~ assistance and advice for research and library use assistance with arranging (12)... ~ arrange computer logon and password Administration Officers (24)... Homestay Officer ‘Student Employment Officer (8) Bookshop issuing student cards - independent accommodation advice - family-style accommodation advice - part-time and vacation employment inquiries re: passports and visas ~retail outlet Student Counselling Service Equal Opportunity Services Activity & Clubs Services = counselling re: (as) sn. Problems = petitioning and sexual harassment - availability of clubs and activity schedules:Practice Test 1 CiEs 20 ‘Match the names of the buildings with the letters on the map below. 17. The Library sone 19 Bookshop 18 Administration Building 20 Intemational Student Advisor ales Int Centre Perret Street ‘Student D Car Car Park Park E Entrance TONS 21— 30 ‘Choose the correct letter from A-C. 21 Rose's plan for the tutorial is to research and present A. the differences between male and female children. B_ the different ways that male and female children are raised. € the differences between male and female parenting, 22 The British experiments that Rose refers to in the conversation ‘A wore cartied out in 100 families, B observed girls and boys who were raised identically. C noted the different treatments males and females received. Gam ES Choose TWO letters from A-E for each answer. 23 & 24 This tutorial will require Marie and Rose to carry out research. interest the tutor and their classmates. be tested. help Marie to catch up on her research work. benefit other assessment that Rose and Marie have to do. muowD 25408 Essential Tests for IELTS 25% 26 Before starting their preparation, Marie and Rose must catch up on other work. agree on the topic get approval from the tuter. make an appointment to see a librarian, plan carefully for the next two weeks. nuawD ees Complete the form below. Uso NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. ‘Tutor; JinvClark Department: (27) Subject Code: EC 101 Topic: ‘How TheSexey Differ’ Aims of tutorial: 1. To-show (28) 2. To show the differencey are (29) Day & Date of tutorial: Tuesday 26th Time: 11 a.m Room: B 1203 A/V Equipment request a wv Tape Recorder O Video % Overhead Projector (80) How do you want to be notified of lecturer's approval? 5 PHONE © LETTER O Fax © INPERSON SEW CUNY) Questions 31=02) Complete the following sentences, Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 31 eae ‘The speaker identifies the following two differences between being a high school student and a university student: ‘* the academic expectations of tutors and lecturers are ‘+ students must take responsibility for their own learning.Practice Test 82 The speaker aims to get students to recognise exam stress and the way it can affect ase Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Signs . Effective Management includos: Physiological: Increased pulse-rate Perspiration Breathing problems Problems with (33) Ce oaceenare breathing exercises Psychological: Irrational Panic (35) .. Be confident and (36) .---een = ‘Be calm and analyse the questions. Complete the following notes. Uso NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 37 Timeneeded to study effectively will. 98 Time Management involves taking notice of the allocation of questions. ..agcording to individuals. -toexam 29 Toachieve good grades in examinations at university, you need to: have academic ability. ‘© think clearly. ‘* observe time management practices. 40 Students wishing to develop their..... ... can attend next week's workshop. -27+404 Essential Tests for IELTS READING EET A ‘Questions 1 ~ 13 are based on Reading Passage 1. THE LIFE CYCLE OF A STAR Ithas been conservatively estimated that there are some 10,000 billion, billion stars in the universe. It sdifficult to know the exact age of a star (astronomers have identified stars as young as 25,000 years old and others are thought to be over 10 billion years old), but what astronomers do know is that there are many different kinds. How each star is formed, and its mass, influences its type and longevity. Astaris bom in anebula, which is a giant cloud of gas and dust. The larger the amount of matter that is in the nebula, the greater the mass of the star that is created. Inside these nebulae are dense areas of gas, which, due to their density, have a stronger gravitational pull than the rest of the nebula. Gradually, gravity drags the gas in the nebula together and it begins to spin and become increasingly hotter. Once the temperature reaches 15,000,000°C, nuclear fusion occurs in the centre of the cloud, and it begins to glow brightly. It stabilizes at this temperature, contracts slightly and becomes what is known as a main sequence star (an example of this is our own Sun). It can remain in this stage for millions or billions of years. As it glows, hydrogen in the centre (through the nuclear fusion) becomes helium. Eventually the hydrogen supply in the core diminishes and the core of the star becomes unstable, contracting more, However, the outer patts of the star (which are still mainly hydrogen) expand and cool, and in doing So, the star starts to glow red. It is at this stage that the star becomes a red giant. It is anticipated ‘that it will take the Sun another § billion years to reach this stage. By then it will have grown large enough to engulf the three closest planets (Mercury, Venus and Earth) and glow 2,000 times brighter ‘than it currently does. Exactly how a star will react in the red giant phase depends on its mass. Throughout the red giant phase, the hydrogen in the outer parts carries on burning, and the centre gets hotter and hotter. On teaching 200,000,000°C, the helium atoms fuse forming carbon atoms. The remainder of the hydrogen explodes and forms a ring around the core called a planetary nebula. ‘With medium-sized stars, once the final helium atoms have fused into carbon atoms, the star starts to die. The gravitational pull leads to the last of the star's matter collapsing inwards and compacting to become extremely dense. A star like this is called a white dwarf. It will shine white-hot until the remaining energy (thermal energy trapped in its interior) has been exhausted after which it will no longer emit light. This can take in excess of several billion years. It is then termed a black dwarf (a cold, dark star, pethaps replete with diamonds) and remains in that stage forever. Black Hole Supernova om Examiner: BRAGTIGE TEST T= SPEAKING (4—5 minutes) Introduction and (getting to now you) interview +: Good morning. My name's And your name is ...? And you're from... ? Can I'see your passport please? Thank you. Which part of ... are you from? Can you describe your hometown for me? Who do you live with? ‘Do you spend much time with your family? What do you like to do on the weekend? Why are you studying English? How long have you been studying English? Thank you. (3-4 minutes) Individual long turn (monologue) Now I'm going to give you a card with some information about FAMOUS PEOPLE. You will have one minute to read the card and then I'd like you to talk about FAMOUS: PEOPLE for one or two minutes. You can make some notes to help you ifyou wish. Allright? Describe a famous person that has / had great influence on the people of your country. ‘You should say: ‘who that person is ‘what that person did how you feel about that person and consider whether or not that person will continue to be an influence in the future. Examiner: Would you like to start now? You give your talk and after 1 or 2 minutes the examiner will ask you a question or two. What would you do if you met that famous person? * Doyou think you'll ever be famous? > Thank you. (4-5 minutes) Two-way discussion (more abstract conversation) Now I'd like to ask you a few more questions. Famous people often become role models for teenagers. How significant is this? Do actors and models get too much attention in the media? ‘Should people lose the right to privacy just because they are famous? 4fyou could meet anyone famous (dead or alive) who would it be and why? in your opinion, do certain personality types handle fame or attention better than others? Do you feel that there should be restrictions placed on actors according to their age or — Thank you very much, @Q2e268 ‘That's the end of the speaking tast. Goodbye.Practice Test 2 Listen to the conversation between an external student and a Receptionist at Grisham College Counselling Office. is Complete the Student Profile below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for ach answer. Complete the sign on the door of Grisham College Counselling Office below. Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. +39404 Essential Tess for IELTS Listen to the conversation between the same student and the Student Counsellor. Gx =o Complete the Counsellor’s notes. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. = working as a (6)... - research at university studying part-time Likes Advantages the satisfaction - (8) the six week summer holiday + increase in pay = would still have (9) ~ professionally beneficial Dislikes Disadvantages ~ badly behaved students = working (10) lazy students - extra travel time + insufficient (7)... Coote eee aae cee 11 The problem that Constable Gray describes is A women being robbed. B_ thieves stealing bags from international tourists. © Darlinghurst residents being robbed. 12 It is difficult to chase the thieves because A they catch their victims by surprise, B_ they choose older victims, © the victims find it difficult to run as fast as the thieves. 13 The police have caught A. onlytwo of the thieves. 'B_ nono of the thieves yet. © almost all of the thieves. 5 Choose TWO letters from A~E for each answer. 14& 18 Police advise the group of students to chase the thieves if it is safe. be more careful where they place their bags. avoid being alone in the area avoid carrying too much money with them. use credit cards as much as possible. moauDPractice Test 2 GEE Saneo Complete the following notes using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. If robbed, you should contact 9 (19) cceetinnn OF item, ‘that was stolen. your (16) Darlinghurst Police Station with the following details: or Prevent illegal use of credit cards by (20) ‘as soon as possible after the theft. * your full name '* your contact telephone number © time of the incident * location of the incident, for example, Nearest (17) oon ‘or name of (18) .. Sey CUS EE) Cases Choose the correct letter from A ~ C for each answer. 21 What is the purpose of Jane and Rick's meeting with the tutor? A. To collate information from their assignments B To follow the correct procedure for the report © Tocheck on details of the report 22 What work still needs to be completed before doing the presentation? A. Conducting the actual questionnaire survey B Collating data from the questionnaire and writing the report itself © Analyzing the information gathered in the questionnaire 23 Which chart A, B or C shows the correct distribution of the 400 surveys Jane and Rick handed out? Griffin Technical College = WA Education Department '& Longholm University4404 Essential Tests for IELTS, 24 Why did Jane and Rick survey international students from three different institutions? A. They didn’t want to limit their responses to Longholm. B_ There weren't enough international students at Longholm © They could access students of different ages at other institutions. 25 Which illustration (A, B or C) best shows the rates of responses in the pre-test and actual survey? Complete the following flow chart, Insert the steps A -F given in the box below. NOTE: there are more steps than you will need. STEPS: A _ Distribute transmittal letter E _ Prosent pre-test trial results B Rewrite unclear items F Draw conclusions © Compile trial survey report G Set objectives D Send reminders for overdue surveys Steps for Survey and Presentation: Step 1 Choose your topic. + Step 2 (26) 1 Step 3 Write items to match objectives. | ‘TRIAL SURVEYS: L | Step 4 Distribute the trial survey. L Step 5 ‘On due date, collect surveys and (27) a Step 6 Collate and analyse data from trial survey. J Step 7 (28) ACTUAL SURVEYS L Step 8 (29) with the survey. t Step 9 ‘Send out postcard reminders. L Step 10 ‘On due date, collect surveys, collate and analyse the data. 4 Step 11 (30) soos, and compile the report. 42.Practice Test2 TOY CUO Complete the summary below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Budget Planning = most challenging element - try to plan (35) - dependent on (36) . -@7). in units of work ed to identify tasks and schedules outlined in tender documents help for this element can be obtained from (89) 0... ‘Manager. ‘Complete the sentence below. ‘Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for the answer. 40 The three elements of Stage 2 will be examined in more depth in .404 Essential Tests for IELTS READING EE ‘Questions 1 ~ 13 are based on Reading Passage 1, Poverty and Health ‘The link between health and economic outcomes has always been a central issue for both economists and sociologists. Most experts believe that there is a strong causal link between health and economic prosperity. For example, those earning higher incomes have more money to invest in human capital such as improving and maintaining health. This means that thelr standard of living improves as their earning power increases and they are able to invest in better diets, improved sanitation and better health care. A healthy worker is less likely to contract disease, and this means productivity at work improves with the resultant opportunity to command higher earnings. A clear example of the link between economic productivity and poor health is Uganda, which is situated in the east of central Africa. Recent surveys have indicated that 46% of the population Is forced to live on less than $1.00 per day. Only 49% of households in Uganda have access to health care facilities. The current average life expectancy is 48 years from birth, which is estimated to be about 45 for males and 50.5 years for females. An assessment of the burden of disease in Uganda in 1995 demonstrated that 75% of life years lost as a result of premature death were due to entirely preventable diseases: perinatal and maternal conditions accounted for 20%; malaria for 15.4%; acute lower respiratory tract infections 10.59%; AIDS 9.19; diarrhoea 8.4%. In addition, 38% of under five year olds are stunted, 25% are underweight and 5% wasted. These factors accounted for the extremely high mortality rate experienced in this age-group. recent report from Healthcare Worldwide makes the clearest and strongest case yet that disease has a fundamental and disastrous effect on the economies of countries and, in the long run, at the global level. The report concludes that funding increases for health from affluent and poorer countries alike are vital. Although the extra expenditure from poorer countries would be difficult to find, the report concluded that the benefits received would be worth it, It is estimated that this Injection of funds into the health care systems of the poorer countries would result in a significant increase in productivity because people would be healthier and more able to work. The report also urges a focus on the biggest killers, from childbirth and AIDS, and on medical care at a local clinic level rather than in prestigious hospitals. To this end, the Ugandan government has pursued a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy which has addressed the issues of access to appropriate and adequate health care by utilising the existing political structure of the country. This strategy has resulted in the incidence of poverty in Uganda falling from 56% in 1992 to 35% in 2000. The Multinational Finance Corporation (MFC) has praised the East African country for the progress it has made towards reducing poverty and has just announced its approval of a staggered $21 million loan which will be made available in three equal parts over three years beginning in 2002. This incentive means that Uganda has become the first country this year to benefit from a Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC). This is a new approach to World Bank lending, available exclusively to low-income countries with strong policy and institutional reform programs, which allows poverty reduction strategies to be carried out. However, the MFC notes that although the Ugandan economy has performed relatively well during 2001-2002 in achieving a 5.5% growth, Uganda would still continue to rely heavily on donor assistance. hhe United Nations Human Development Report for 2002 ranks Uganda as 150" out of 173 countries, ‘and reports it is “far behind” in its attempts to gain the anticipated 10% increase. It may also be unable to reach the hoped for Millennium Development goal of halving the proportion of people suffering from hunger by 2015. ‘The Ugandan government is also dedicated to the control of AIDS through the Uganda AIDS Commission. In 1993, Uganda reported the highest rate of AIDS eases per population in Africa and, conePractice Test 2 therefore, the world. HIV, the name given to the preliminary stages of AIDS, and AIDS, the fully developed form of the disease, are still one of the leading causes of death in Uganda. Currently, about 2.4 million people in the country are HIV positive while another 0.9 million have the fully developed form. To make matters worse, the majority of those affected with the disease are within the 15 and 40 year age group, which is where the majority of the labour force comes from. ‘Therefore the economy Suffers. However, since the introduction of the Uganda AIDS Commission, there has been a major decrease in the incidence of the disease. ‘The struggle to maintain adequate and appropriate levels of health care in underdeveloped countries will continue to represent a major challenge to organizations such as Healthcare Worldwide and UNICEF. However, through the involvement of the more affluent countries and the development of a ‘global fund set up by the United Nations, hope is present and there is an air of optimism about the future. Using information from Reading Passage 1, complete the diagram below. Uso NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 1 - 6 on your Answer Sheet. Higher Income ~ Increased (3) Increased potential for in the workplace improvements in living @- Decreased levels of (2) Complete the following table using information taken from Reading Passage 1. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 4-8 on your Answer Sheet. Households with no access to medical facilities @ Deaths which were not preventable © Children who (6) less than they should Be MEG Joan for use in 2002 ” ‘The difference between the actual and 45% ®. growth rate Figure 1. Facts on Uganda 45.5404 Essential Tests for IELTS. Choose the correct letter from A ~D and write it in boxes 9 ~ 13 on your Answer Sheet, 9 Poorhealth amongst Ugandans A. results from insufficient access to health care facilities. B can be attributed to poor economic conditions. © has resulted in increased mortality rates, D_ Allofthe above, 10 Healthcare Worldwide recommends A. spending more money on health worldwide. B_ investigating the incidence of death due to childbirth and AIDS. © making health care facilities accessible at a local level, D Allof the above, 11 The Poverty Reduction Support Credit A. was first offered to Uganda. B isa department of the World Bank © only helps certain low-income countrie: D None ofthe above, 12 HIV/AIDSin Uganda A isnotas prevalent as it used to be. B causes the highest rate of death in the world. © targets those who no longer work. D occurs in 2.4 million of the population. 13. The writer of this article believes Uganda’s situation will ultimately improve. thinks that developed countries do not help Uganda enough. is optimistic about the future in general, is sympathetic to poorer countries. vawp agPractice Test2 ‘Questions 14 - 27 are based on Reading Passage 2. & VALIUM | In the 1960s, Valium was launched around the world as the new miracle pill. It was prescribed for dozens of ailments, including stress, panic attacks, back pain, insomnia and calming patients before and after surgery. Four decades later, many are questioning why the drug is still so popular, given that doctors and drug addiction workers believe Valium, and drugs like it, create more health problems than they solve. Valium ~ a Latin word meaning “strong and well” ~ was developed in the early 1960s in the United States (US) by DrLeo Sternbach, a Polish chemist working for pharmaceutical giant Hoffman-LaRoche. Approved for use in 1963, Valium quickly became a favourite among mental heath professionals and general practitioners. Valium was the most prescribed drug in the US between 1969 and 1982. At the peak of Valium use in the 1970s, Hoffman LaRoche's parent company, the Roche Group, was selling about two billion Valium pills a year, earning the company $US 600 million a year. Valium quickly became a household name, the drug of choice for millions of people, from the rich and famous to the stressed executive and the frustrated housewife. ‘These days Valium is still a popular choice. From 2002-2003, 50% of prescriptions for diazepams (the generic name for Valium) in Australia were for Valium. Almost two million scripts were issued for diazepam in 2002, costing consumers and governments more than $13 million. Diazepams belong to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, which include tranquillizers to ease anxiety and hypnotics to treat insomnia. Valium and other benzodiazepines were marketed as fast acting, non-addictive and as having no side effects. Initially benzodiazepines were considered to be quite safe, especially compared to other drugs on the market. For example, barbiturates were also very toxic and a small overdose would be fatal. ‘One of the great advantages of benzodiazepines over their predecessors was that even if the patient took many tablets, they would get very sick and go off to sleep, but they wouldn't die. It seemed too good to be true. And of course it was. Some doctors began to observe alarming facts about benzodiazepines which weren't well known during the 1960s and the 1970s, and which are still true today. They were addictive, even in small doses; they could be safely prescribed for only a very short period; and the body adapted to the drug within a week, which usually led the user to take higher dosages or an increased number of tablets. In addition to this, what wasn't well known until the early 1980s is that a much larger group of people had become dependent on these benzodiazepines, including Valium, by taking the normal dose. Although they were only taking 2 mg three times a day, doctors observed that within a week they were becoming dependent. Moreover, they were becoming very ill if that dose was reduced or withdrawn. Because the withdrawal from benzodiazepines is brutal, doctors continue to prescribe the medication {or fear of the patient's health during withdrawal. Doctors believe that there is no point in refusing to prescribe the drug until the pationt is prepared to stop. Valium has a long half-life, which means that it takes 30-plus hours for the body to get rid of half of the daily dose. As a result, withdrawals from Valium are just as difficult as withdrawals from other drugs, including alcohol. Patients who are withdrawing can have fits for five or six days after they have stopped taking Valium, which is one of the big risks. It usually takes the body five to seven days to detoxify from alcohol and less than a month for heroin compared to withdrawal from Valium which can take up to six months. Ree rane wii cutest bere oy while many patients feel better when they initially begin taking the drug, Ns o the feelings are short-lived. In the case of benzodiazepines they should only be taken as part of an overall examination of the patient's lifestyle. Guidelines have been developed to support the appropriate use by doctors & and patients of Valium and other benzodiazepines. Doctors need to talk Cy “47+404 Essential Tests fr IELTS about what is causing the stress and suggest possible alternative treatment options. The flip side of ‘the coin is that consumers need to take ownership of the medicines that they are taking. They should ‘talisto their doctor about the impact the medication has on their health. This also helps doctors tolhelp sanage their patient's health. The emergence of concerns over the use of Valium, originally hailed as ‘the wonder drug of its day, is a waming for us all to be cautious about the newer drugs. What it all boils down to is that doctors and patients need to monitor the use of all medicines — this includes Prescription medicine as well as over-the-counter medications. (Source: The Weekend Australian, Saturday 26 July 2003, “Anxious and Addicted” by Clare Pirani. Copyright: used with permission.) onsite eae ay arama (ouaeeed x ay tare ras AFL eaten a wit lta ng Basa i Mibasaieaens Seabee, etic a eae NOTGIVEN if the information is not given in the passage. Write your answers in boxes 14— 18 on your Answer Sheet. Example: Valium was launched as a new miracle pill. 14 Valium is of greater risk to users than their original illness. 15 Valium sales caused business in the Roche Group to peak in the 1970s, 16 Valium became popular because it seemed to suit a wide range of people. 17 Valium is part of the group of drugs called diazepams. 18 A Valium overdose is not fatal. Complete the summary below by using words taken from Reading Passage 2. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 19-270n your Answer Sheet. Initially, doctors believed that Valium was a comparatively (19) drug for a number of reasons: it worked quickly, patients could take it but give it up easily and it didn't create any ‘unpleasant (20) However, about thirty years ago some disturbing facts became apparent. Doctors found that Valium was (21) ... in the short term and users needed to (22) .. the dosage in order to get the same effect. They also found that even users who took a (23) =. dose became addicted very quickly. In addition to this, one of the most worrying concems about Valium use was that it was extremely (24) for users: to give up the drug because it had a long half-life. Doctors are now aware that patients who | take Valium merely receive a short-lived feeling of (25) Therefore, guidelines have been developed to make sure that it is used only when it is (26)... .-. « More caution needs to be exercised. Doctors need to talk about patients’ stress levels and advise them of (27) ~~-wm + Finally, patients need to be more aware of the medications they take, 48+Practice Test 2 Increased social debate regarding complex issues such as The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming has definitely increased our environmental awareness. However, such debates are often emotive rather than informative. One can be forgiven, for example, for believing that the Greenhouse Bffect is some- thing we should be trying to eradicate! Short-wave radiation, in the form of visible ultra-violet (UV) light from the Sun, penetrates Earth's atmosphere to warm the surface of the planet. Because all matter is warmer than space, it radiates heat, and part of the sun's energy is re-radiated out by the Earth's surface. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap some of this infrared radiation causing the Earth's surface and lower atmospheric layers to warm up to a higher temperature than would otherwise be the case. Without these green- house gases, Earth would be a frozen, hostile environment with an average global temperature of about -15°C to -19°C, where no life could be sustained, A thermal balance of energy exists where the Earth radiates about the same amount of energy into space as long-wave radiation that it absorbs from the sun. Our atmosphere allows the balance to be achieved because the trace gases trap and absorb heat, Infrared radiation is emitted from the Earth's surface. Some ‘The Earth absorbs most is reflected by the greenhouse of the Sun's radiation gases in the atmosphere. This and uses it to produce leads to the Earth's surface warmth. getting warmer. The Earth's atmosphere reflects some of the radiation. GLOBAL WARMING Other interactions are at play that may affect the Earth's albedo or balance of energy. The amount or type of cloud cover, for instance, can alter the amount of energy being exchanged. Cirrus clouds reflect more of the sun’s radiation than absorb radiation from the earth. Cumulus clouds do the opposite where the proportion of energy retained is larger than that reflected. ‘The detected increase in carbon dioxide in our atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution will also affect the albedo. Not only has there been an increase in carbon dioxide identified. Other greenhouse base gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons have all increased. It is thought that the latter of these minor greenhouse gases may have a stronger impact on global warming than carbon dioxide levels. ‘The largest contributing factor to the increase of greenhouse gases has been the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon in the fuel we burn is oxidised and released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Compounding the problem, deforestation that has taken place over the last 50 ~ 100 years reduces the number of trees that are necessary for absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, Short-term as404 Essential Tess for IELTS solutions for regional economic survival means the importance of rainforests in this gas exchange has been ignored. Even a layman can see how the Greenhouse Effect has earned its bad reputation. An out-of-control Greenhouse Effect is often quoted using the example of Venus, where heat is trapped by thick clouds and a dense carbon dioxide atmospheric element, making the surface temperature as high as 500°C. Scientists don't always agree on their predictions. Whilst they agree that an increase in greenhouse gases will cause the Earth's temperature to rise, they disagree on what may happen next. Some believe that the subsequent increase in water vapour may help to reduce the temperature. Others believe it will increase the temperature. The collection of meteorological data from observation satellites and a study of samples taken from glaciers and trees for example, support what many of planet Earth’s inhabitants notice for themselves. The globe is warming up. It is generally agreed that by about 2030/ 2040, the average global temperature (presently +15°C) will have risen by anything up to 5°C causing polar ice-caps and mountain glaciers to melt and changes to ocean eurrents and circulation patterns causing coastal waters to rise. New weather patterns and extremes are anticipated. Scientists do not know if the increase in average global temperature is just a eycle because of the absence of long-term meteorological data. Comparing climate epochs is complex because so many atmospheric and surface features of land and ocean are different. All of the elements that make up climate are continually changing and dynamically interacting, Knowing therefore, that the Earth cooled during past ice ages and warmed during interglacial periods, has limited worth in predictions for our future. Moreover, records of past climatic epochs are not as reliable or detailed as those records developed in recent decades. General Circulation Models (GCMs) are designed to describe basic behaviour patterns of the atmosphere. Used on super-computers, the system still cannot represent all countries and has to rely on spatial representation of the earth. This means that specific consequences of climate change ~ like predicting the daily weather for specific climatic regions — are more difficult to predict than the global reality of the Greenhouse Effect. The computers are much more accurate in showing these broader climatic conditions and predicting global effects than more localized phenomena. ‘Many experts conclude that failure to take action in order to limit the impact of human activity is taking a dangerous risk. Others argue that nature will save itself from our apparent inability or disinterest in protecting the planet and that adaptation will, once again, be the key to survival. As these debates continue and governments refuse to act, it is becoming more likely that we will be able to see for ourselves whether or not the dire predictions of global warming are overstated as early as the middle of this century. Complete the sentences below with words taken from the passage. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 2831 on your Answer Sheet. 28 The Earth's atmosphere would not be able to retain heat, were it not for... 29 Clouds, as well as human activity, may contribute to an imbalance in the 30 A reduction in the amount of radiation going into space can be the result of. clouds. 31 Carbon dioxide levels have increased due to the burning of fossil fuels and .... + 50°Reading Passage 3 describes numerous cause and effect relationships. Match each EFFECT with one of the CAUSES (A - G) below. Practice Test2 NOTE: there are more causes than you will need to use. You may use any cause more than once. LIST OF CAUSES vise in water vapour rise in global temperature greenhouse gases thick cloud and carbon dioxide radiation reduction in number of trees holes in the ozone layer athvuaup 982 EFFECT: ineffective carbon dioxide exchange 33 EFFECT: high increase in temperature of the land 34 EFFECT: increase in water vapour TRUE ifthe statement agrees with information in the passage FALSE ifthe statement contradicts information in the passage NOTGIVEN _ ifthe information is not given in the passage. Write your answers in boxes 36 40 on your Answer Sheet. 36 Over the next 30 years the average global temperature is expected tobe at least 20°C. 37 Long-term meteorological data confirms cyclical increases in average global temperatures. 38 Historical climatic records are no longer used because of recent findings. 39 GCMs are not reliable indicators of the specific consequences of climate change. 40 __Ifaction is not taken now, governments will be forced to act by 2050. CAUSE: Answer 35 EFFECT: possible increase or decrease in the temperature of the land Look at the following statements (Questions 36-40). Indicate: +51:404 Essential Tests for IELTS WRITING CSTer emer ‘You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The bar chart below illustrates the use of tobacco products by secondary school students in the United States. Write a report describing the information shown. ‘You should write at least 150 words, Current Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students ae | 3 | a } Bin | (aie Shoot 8 | averse 2 18} eat ca : ee | nk ae 7 | a a . | A SO EA ‘Type of Tobacco Product (Sauron: Center fer Dinars Corl & Preranton: National Cuero Heath Sai Health, US MWA VoL48 #43 Pinan rented by Ofer Sting and Heath) oT ‘You should spend about 40 minutes on this task, Present a written argument to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge on the following topie: The percentage of overweight children in western society has increased by almost 20% in the last ten years. Discuss the possible causes and effects of this disturbing trend and offer a solution, ‘You should use your own ideas, Imowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence. ~~ ‘You should write at least 250 words. = -52-SPEAKING > EXEEEY G-5 minutes) Introduction and (getting to know you) interview Examiner: Good morning. My name's... And your name is...? And you're from... ? Can I see your passport please? Thank you. Which part of.... (your country)... are you from? Can you describe your hometown for me? What do you like about living in ... (your country)? Do you work or are you a stucient? What do you like to do in your spare time? Why are you studying English? How long have you been studying English? Thank you. (3-4 minutes) Individual long turn (monologue) ‘Examiner: Now I'm going to give you a card with some information about TRANSPORT. You will ‘have one minute to read the card and then I'd like you to talk about TRANSPORT for one or two minutes. You can make some notes to help you ifyou wish, Allright? Describe the main forms of transport in your hometown. You should say: what the different forms of transport are how often you use them which types of transport are most popular and consider whether or not the transportation systems are satisfactory. Examiner: Would you like to start now? You give your talk and after 1 or 2 minutes the examiner will ask you a question ot two. + Do you prefer travelling by public transport or by car? ‘© What's the longest journey you have ever been on? Thank you. (4-5 minutes) Two-way discussion (more abstract conversation) Examiner: Now I'd like to ask you a few more questions. What is the traffic like in your hometown? What are the benefits of travelling by public transport? In your opinion, in what ways can governments encourage people to use public transport? * Having too many cars on our roads causes air pollution. What are some of the other causes of pollution? How are environmentally-friendly practices encouraged in (your country)? ‘Science can be used to develop environmentally-friendly alternatives. In what ways can this be done? ‘Thank you very much. That's the end of the speaking test. Goodbye. See +53-404 Essential Tess for IELTS PRACTICE TESES= LISTENING Listen to the conversation between two friends who are talking outside an examination room. Choose the correct letter from A~C for each answer. ‘Example: Why is Peter tired? A. Theexam waslong, _B_ He got up early this moming. He studied until late the previous night. ANSWER: C 1 Why can't Peter relax over the three-week vacation? A Heneedsto earn some money. B_ He's worried about next semester. © He can't afford to go away. 2 What does Crystal plan to do on the holidays? ‘A. She's going to visit her family. B_ She's going to get a job. € She hasn't got any idea. Ci [a Listen to the directions and identify the place names of Questions 3 - 5 on the campus map below. (Choose your answers from the list of placenames in the box, NOTE: there are more place names listed than you will need. +54Practice Test 3 Complete the sentences below. Use NO MORE THAN WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. 6 First, Peter and Crystal must have a/an_ 7 Peterand Crystal arrange to meetat...... «on Friday, Guectios 0} Complete the table below. : Use NO MORE THAN ONE WORD OR A NUMBER for each answer. @) eee |) ae B 723466 LU = (10) TNE CUO ENEET Questions 1=19 (Choose the correct letter from A~C for each answer. 11 The main aim of the festival spokesperson at the gathering is to A welcome visitors to Brisbane. B give away some tickets to the Brisbane Festival. € provide information regarding the Festival 12 The program for the Brisbane Festival includes performers from A local and international destinations, B Australian, Asian and European destinations. Australian and international destinations. 13 The Brisbane Festival will schedule activities and performances A at indoor and outdoor venues. B over 290 days. € in traditional performance centres around the city. 552404 Essential Tess for IELTS Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer, (Gloos= the correct letter from A- C for each answer. ‘Zi Whoare Nancy and Jenny? ‘A. students from Singapore and Malaysia B students who have travelled to Singapore and Malaysia (© students who have researched Singapore and MalaysiaPractice Test3 G cn EEC Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. ‘Singapore ‘Malaysia Area of land: 630 square kilometres (22) 0. square kilometres Population: @3) ‘Under 24 million Approximate ethnic mix: | (24) Chinese 65% Malay (Bumiputera) 14% Malay 26% Chinese ‘9% Indian 8% Indian Complete the sentences below. Uso NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 25 Australia’s relationship with Singapore has been .. 26 Trade between Singapore and Australia is 27 Singapore and Malaysia share and. as their top trading partners, 28 Therehasbeenan increase in . between Australia and Malaysia. 29 Nancy found that the government in Singapore investeda lovin... 30 Nancy and Jenny thought that Malaysia has a good balance Of 0-20. 6UStOME. See CU SCS) CIES Complete the notes below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 31 For ...there have been vegetarians. 32 True vegans will only eat food which COREE Choose TWO letters from A~E for each answer. 33 & 34 Which two reasons are NOT given in the lecture for adopting vegetarianism? religious beliefs environmental reasons peer pressure cost social acceptance BoauD> sz404 Essential Tests for IELTS Choose TWO letters from A~E for each answer. 98 & 36 Which two health issues are NOT used in the lecture to promote vegetarianism as healthy? reduced heart disease lower risk of contracting cancer teduced blood sugar levels fewer weight-related problems lower risk of stomach ulcers muauD Complete the following table. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. VITAMIN AND MINERAL INTAKE spinach, prune juice or G7)... 7 meat,fishand dairy | dairyor soy products __| vegetable margarines, soy products: and products and some (39)... ‘Complete the sentence below. Waite NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for your answer. 40 The website address given for the UK Vegetarian Society is... 58°Practice Test3 Eom CoE Questions 1-13 are based on Reading Passage 1. It is believed that the problem of computer security has changed over a period of time as businesses, through an increased use of information technology (IT), have become more and more dependent on information and the associated information systems (IS), However, atthe same time, there has been limited change in the implemented security or safeguards to these information systems, In fact many executives or managers fail to even identify the relevant requirement for security or policies. incidents have been ‘A. The Intemet has been roughly doubling in size every year, and the associated securit running in parity. Even if the percentage of malicious users is small, the increase in size of the Internet and in the ‘number of incidents of failed security is significant, The importance of the growth in the Intemet can be highlighted by the fact that in July 1991, 33% of Internet users were from the commercial sector, whereas in July 1996, this figure had risen to 50%. B. In 1988, the Morris “worm” was introduced on the Internet to invade, attack and replicate itself on the network ‘The response was to shut down E-mail and connectivity. However, the ‘fixes’ were to be distributed via E-mail and so the solution was self-defeating. As a result of this worm virus, CERT (Computer Emergency Response ‘Team) was formed, with the Australian version (AUSCERT) starting in 1992. C. One of the problems with Internet security is the fact that the incidents are increasing in sophistication. One of the reasons for this has been the increasing availability of toolkits. Although these toolkits are designed to assist computer systems designers to protect and develop their sites, they also allow relatively ignorant intruders to carry ‘ut increasingly complex incidents with the utilisation of many routers and disguises to reach their ‘target’. According toa US Department of Defence report, less than 1% of incidents are identified but 65% of these are successful ‘Another thing to bear in mind with intruders and hackers. that they do not respect geographical or administrative boundaries, or time zones. They may be geographically dislocated from the point of attack and therefore operating in ‘off-duty’ hours. D. The thing to remember with security is that the system administrators must get it right all the time; the intruder must get it right just once. Evidence of this is easy to find. In 1997, a teenager hacked into a Bell Atlantic network. His hacking erashed the computer and resulted in 600 homes, a regional airport and emergency services being without telephone communications for six hours. And what was the punishment for this offence? Two years probation, community service and a fine of US$5,000. E. Governments are getting tough on cyber crimes, especially in the wake of September I1®, These crimes are being linked to national security, which in the US is now of major concern to government officials and the general public alike. And the government has been swift to act. In late 2001, the US Patriot Act was introduced. This Act increased the maximum sentence for breaking into a computer from five to ten years. Then in July 2002, the House of Representatives approved the Cyber Security Enhancement Act. Now if a cyber crime results in the death of an individual, the offender could face « life sentence. There has been additional fall-out from the September 11 attacks with the FBI and other government security agencies dramatically escalating their monitoring of the Internet. This has pushed some hackers further underground, fearful that what they had previously been doing out ‘of boredom or challenge could now be viewed as an act of terrorism. F. On the other hand, the events of September 11 have led to some ex-hackers using their extensive knowledge and experience to join forces with security forces to aid the fight against terrorism. G. However, even with the inereased threats of punishment, computer viruses and incidents of hacking continue to be widespread. Long-time security measures which have been utilised by companies and individuals are not fail-safe. One of the more prevalent IS security measures is the use of firewalls, which “filter” the data entering leaving the corporate IS. It is rue that these firewalls have a number of advantages, nevertheless, they should not 59°404 Essential Tess for IELTS be seen as a panacea to all IS security woes, merely an enhancement. They can provide a false sense of security and have limited protection from intemal attackers. In short, the corporate world needs to realise that computer security will be an on-going problem and expense. CEESey Complete the table below with information found in the text. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 1—3on your Answer Shest. | Date Event fase ‘commercial sector constituted (1) of | Intemet usage @) Computer Emergency Response Team formed Post-September 11th 2001 | FBI increased (3) Ces In Reading Passage 1 there are several sections. Choose the most suitable heading (I~ IX) from the box below which best matches the Sections A~G. Write your answers in boxes 4—9on your Answer Sheet. NOTE: there are more headings than sections so you will not use all of them. You may use any of the headings more than once. LIST OF HEADINGS 2 TA positive aspect of hacking MH —_‘bugher punishments for hackers i | II Response to Intemet security | IV __ Growth of the Intemet | | V___ Responsibilities of managers | ‘VI Hackers v administrators | ‘VI Difficulty of detection | VII Government agencies TX Common security measure | Git eer tt} Answer ‘Example: Paragraph A ee 4 ParagraphB 7 Paragraph E 5 Paragraph 8 Paragraph F 6 ParagraphD 9 Paragraph G : eaePractice Test3 Complete the sentences below Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your Answer Sheet. 10. Solving the Morris worm was difficult because the repair method was sent. and therefore useless. 11 The teenager who hacked into Bell Atlantic would get a maximum prison sentence of iffhe committed the same crime now, 12 Some hackers are scared that government authorities could now consider them to be 13. One disadvantage of is that they can make a company feel protected from attack even though the system is not perfect. Poe ‘Questions 14 ~ 27 are based on Reading Passage 2 THE BIG SLEEP The nature of sleep and the role it plays in our lives has long fascinated science and been the focus of many studies and a great deal of research. ‘A. The benefit of receiving enough sleep is essential to our inner well-being. Not enough sleep, however, means that we lack the opportunity to restore ourselves physiologically, emotionally and cognitively, It affects our mood and can result in behaviour and performance problems. When we sleep, our bodies rest but our brains are active. Sleep lays the groundwork for a productive day ahead. Although most people benefit the most from eight hours of sleep each night, this is not always what they manage to achieve. Men get slightly less sleep than women during the week (6.7 hours/night vs. 7.0 hours/night), but have fewer sleep problems, according to recent Sleep in America polls conducted annually by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). B. According to current scientific thought, the human body is pre-programmed for sleep. At nightfall, cells in the retina (a light sensitive membrane connected to the eye by the optic nerve) send a sleep signal to a cluster of nerve cells in the brain. These nerve cells are concentrated together in the ‘suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and are located in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus which helps regulate body temperature. The SCN is also known as the circadian clock. This biological “clock” relays the message to other parts of the brain which then signals the body that it is time to sleep. For instance, the pineal gland, also located in the hypothalamus, produces a substance called melatonin, which lowers body temperature, and causes drowsiness. C. Agreat deal of the information we now know about sleep and the physiological changes it causes in the brain can be traced back to the invention of the electroencephalogram in the 1950s. This machine allowed scientists to record the feeble electric currents generated on the brain without opening the skull and to depict them graphically onto a strip of paper. Brain-wave function could be examined and scientists could thereby observe sleep from moment to moment. In the 1970s it became possible for scientists to make assumptions about the role that correct breathing plays during sleep with the development of the technology to measure respiration. It was here that science really began to understand the nature of sleep and the role it plays in people's lives. - 61°404 Essential Tests for IELTS D. As well as uncovering the physiological changes occurring during sleep, The New England Journal of Medicine reported that sleep concems were a public health threat as serious as smoking and in the years since, medical researchers have linked sleep disorders with many life-threatening diseases. Even though more than 70 million Americans have a sleeping problem, most cases go undiagnosed and untreated, 50 the true economic and sociological damage caused by these disorders is unknown although, the economic Cost is conservatively estimated to be billions of dollars a year in health care costs and lost productivity. Breathing problems during sleep represent by far the greatest proportion of sleep disorders and cause the most concem, with studies showing that between 50% and 80% of stroke and heart failure patients have breathing problems during sleep. E. Scientific studies have found that children who are identified as snorers or those who have poor sleeping pattems at around the age of four or five, scored lower than average in Intelligence Quotient (1G) tests, not only during the sleep deprivation period but subsequent to that. There are also suggestions that ongoing sleep deprivation in adults can cause permanent damage. F. Teenagers can have peculiar sleep requirements. It has always been known that adolescents spend mare time sleeping than adults, but science has only recently isolated the reasons for this. Research Now shows that growth hormones are secreted during slow-wave sleep and teenagers do indeed, need more of this kind of sleep than at any other stage in their lives. Chronic lack of sleep among teenagers means that as a group they are more likely to use stimulants and experience negative mood swings. Statistics also indicate that young drivers are responsible for more than one-half of fall-asleep crashes. G. However, itis not just young people who pay the price for lack of proper sleep. Workers are robbing themselves of sleep in order to increase productivity in both their social and working lives, In recent years, however, the identification of driver fatigue as the possible cause of 1/3 of all accidents provides some indication of the price we are paying for such a trade-off. Extensive scientific research indicates that chronic tiredness has been the cause of environmental disasters, nuclear mishaps and several well- documented near misses in the air. Scientists are beginning to argue that the lengthening of the working day is harming workers, their families and society. In the long run, productivity will suffer. H. As a reaction against this disturbing trend, there has been increased support for regulation of the ‘umber of hours worked by employees in demanding jobs, such as doctors, nurses, pilots, bus drivers and truck drivers. Legislation is being drafted to limit work hours, thus forcing companies to become instrumental in changing work cultures to ensure employees are getting enough rest and leisure time in order to avoid chronic tiredness and its devastating consequences. (Choose the correct letter from (A —D) and write it in boxes 14 16 on your Answer Sheet. 14 TheSCN is regulated by the hypothalamus, is affected by fading light. is located in the brain. tells the body it is time for sleep, voup 15 Scientists’ involvement with sleep research A. is driven by the potential of monetary gains to be made. B is arocent trend. Chas been advanced with technological developments. D_has relied on observations and assumptions about sleep being m 16 Sleeping disorders are linked to fatal diseases and conditions. ‘one of the main causes of strokes and heart failure. common in babies: unusual but can be life-threatening, vaup> +620Practice Test3 Look at the following statements (Questions 17-19). Indicate: TRUE ifthe statement agrees with information in the passage FALSE if the statement contradicts information in the passage NOTGIVEN _ ifthe information is not given in the passage. Write your answers in boxes 17-19 0n your Answer Sheet. Answer Example: 80% of all stroke patients experience breathing problems in thelr sleep. FALSE, 17 Sleep deprivation can affect intellectual performance in adults. 18 Longer working hours have resulted in productivity increases. 19 Companies have to be more active in preventing accidents caused by ‘human factors, Eee ‘Choose the statement (I -X) below that best summarises each paragraph (A-H) in Reading Passage 2. Write your answers in boxes 20 - 27 on your Answer Sheet. NOTE: there are more statements than paragraphs so you will not use them all. 20 Paragraph A 24 Paragraph E 21 Paragraph B 25 Paragraph F 22 Paragraph C 26 Paragraph G 23 ParagraphD 27 Paragraph H ‘The negative effects of chronic sleep deprivation have tragic consequences. ‘There are many advantages to getting sufficient sleep. Current medical research maintains that sleep is critical to early development. ‘Technological advances contributed significantly to sleep research. Efforts are being made to decrease the incidence of work-related accidents and disasters. e; Sleep problems affect a significant percentage of the population and have far-reaching consequences. Lack of the right kind of sleep can affect behaviour. Physiological changes occur to create sleep. Sleep has an important function in our daily lives. ‘The electroencephalogram revolutionised sleep research. iue) Sted cate “as 8 +63°404 Essential Tests for IELTS. CSTE (Questions 28 - 40 are based on Reading Passage 3. Salinisation (the accumulation of salts in soil) is one of today's worst environmental disasters and yet it does not share the global spotlight with other ecological issues. Considering the threat that salinisation poses to nearly alll irrigated drylands and the consequential impact on traditional agriculture, such lagging public awareness is, at the very least, disconcerting. Reports indicate that between 2.6 and 6 million hectares of land are affected by salinisation and unless precautionary and remedial measures are implemented, economic and environmental repercussions will be inevitable, Contributing ecological factors such as soil-type, climate, rainfall and topography make some lands more vulnerable to the salinisation process. However, the vast majority of land degraded through salinisation can be directly linked to human activity, whether it be destroying natural vegetation and ‘bbushlands to clear the land for farms, over-irrigation of cultivated land and/or poor farming practices. Countries like Australia are beginning to see the devastation of increasing salinity levels after a relatively short period of introduced European farming methods. Salts such as sodium chloride and calcium sulphates, occur naturally in many soils and waterways. When the concentration of salt levels (salinity) in soil becomes too high, plant growth is adversely affected and the soil structure can be damagot Nature dealt reasonably successfully with salinity levels in Australia prior to European settlement. Natural vegetation, including perennial grasses and deep-rooted trees, ensured that salts were dissolved as rainwater slowly filtered down through the soil. Salt was moved downward and remained in the groundwater below the root zone of the plants. The fibrous root structure of those native plants, acted as an effective filter with their high water-holding capacity. Some rainwater was held by the roots and some rainwater leached downwards through the soil carrying the dissolved salts. Groundwater transpired back into the air through the foliage of the native plants, As Europeans introduced traditional forms of agriculture and cleared large areas of land for grazing in the 1800s, much of the native vegetation in Australia was replaced by generally shallow-rooted annual crops and pastures, substantially changing the natural process that had been working well. ‘These crops and pastures use less water than original native vegetation and the roots do not have ‘the same water-holding capacity. With the introduction of these crops, more rainwater and irrigated water makes its way downwards through the soil to below the root-zone. The water still carries the dissolved salts downwards past the root-zone but the amount and level of groundwater is increased. In addition, because the roots of these crops do not hold as much water, the water is drawn back up from the groundwater later, as the plant needs moisture. ‘We see then that the amount and level of groundwater increases because of an increase in the amount of water being put into the soil and not being held in fibrous root structures like that of native vegetation. This causes the water table to rise bringing dissolved salts with it that eventually reach the surface of the soil. Water is then evaporated from the surface leaving high concentrations of salts behind. This is the process of salinisation. Soils with high salinity levels occur naturally in Australia but these were ‘mostly confined to particular coastal and sub-coastal areas. Over the past 200 years, the total area affected by salinisation has expanded and has now spread to inland areas. Groundwater salts that have been accumulating over thousands of wre years are now rising to the surface. When this groundwater enters v the root zone of the cultivated plants which are naturally not salt tolerant, the plants dio. The effects are not limited to the particular { Le cleared site where soil becomes unsuitable for plant production. Salty I groundwater can travel along the natural contours of the land into a other agricultural areas, creating salty discharge sites quite some distance from the recharge zone. Native aquatic and land-based habitats are now at risk, threatening the biological diversity in Australia Itis therefore necessary for groundwater and surface run-off water to be dealt with. U ‘Land managers or farmers do not have to wait until crops die to recognize that salinity levels are out ofcontrol. Declining yields in crop production, sick or dying trees around the property or the appearance BesPractice Test3 of salt-tolerant species all serve as a warning that salinity levels have increased. If these signs are ignored and the lands become degraded, combating salinity will become expensive and time- consuming, One current practice is to replant trees in an effort to draw the water table down and slow the salinisation process but this alone will be inadequate. Investigations are also being made into planting salt-tolerant crops and pastures whilst building up and preserving native species and remnant bushland areas. More effective techniques to counteract the drainage problems in the form of drainage canals are also being canvassed. These hope to achieve a balance between the volume of water enter- ing the soil in the recharge zone and the volume of water that leaves as discharge. The key to fighting salinity is through long-term management practices on agricultural land that recognize the importance of the role that native vegetation plays in keeping water balance in the soil. These practices will need to consider agricultural requirements along with land and water care ie. balancing economic development with environmental protection. Moreover, a public awareness campaign with goverment-funded incentives must make it clear that current farming practices in at-risk landscapes are not sustainable and cannot be tolerated. GLOSSARY salinisation _- the build-up of concentrations of salt levels within the soil groundwater - water that is held in the soil water table - the level of groundwater transpiration - the loss of water through the leaves of plants | Complete the summary below. Choose words and phrases from the box below the summary and write your answers in boxes 28-36 on your Answer Sheet. Note: use each word or phrase ONCE only. ‘Many people are unaware of the (28)... toland that salinity is causing in countries like Australia, Salinity has many causes, including (29) and short-sighted farming strategies like over- irrigation. Even though salts are present in many soils and waterways, native plants (30) to ensure that salt remained in the groundwater, under the root zonés. Introduced or exotic species of plants with their different needs and plant structure, allow more (31) into the soil, causing the (32) to rise. Because salts cannot be evaporated, as they rise ‘with the groundwater and reach the (33) .............., the high level of salts causes salinisation. The resultant rising salt levels can have detrimental effects on all biological groups not only at the (34) . Ifwe donot take note of the (35)... , the costs involved in repairing the salt damage will be considerable. land clearing techarge zone waning signs had evaporated salinity level European | had recharged ‘trees had adapted | water table surface farming difficulties | habitats ‘government water rainwater degradation air 65°404 Essential Tests fr IELTS Ga ome o Look at the following statements (Questions 36-40). Indicate: YES if the statement agrees with information in the passage NO if the statement contradicts information in the passage NOTGIVEN _if the information is not given in the passage. Write your answers in boxes 36 ~ 40 on your Answer Sheet. 36 _Ifnon-native crops held more water in their roots, the level of ‘groundwater would not increase. 37 Coastal land is now less habitable as a result of salinisation. 88 Where the water table has risen, groundwater may seep into the soil surface at discharge areas. 99 Re-planting native vegetation would stop the water table rising and eliminate salts in soils. 40 _Allofthe suggested remediation practices in the passage aim to re-balance ‘the amount of water in the soil ticesPractice Test’3 Wee YESy © Te You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The pie graphs below show the results of a survey of children's activities. The first graph shows the cultural and leisure activities that boys participate in, whereas the second graph shows the activities in which girls participate. ‘Sumumarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. White at least 150 words. Boys’ Cultural & Leisure Activities Girls’ Cultural & Leisure Activities Basketball . Gernnaniics ae Dancing Ng Soccer sie 17% Listening to ane Music 10% a] Reading 2% Listening to Skateboarding Music 11% 10% Computer ‘Computer Recall Games Games 15% 16% 34% You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. . * Write about the following topic: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living and working in a foreign country. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. SSE+404 Essential Tests for IELTS. ERAGTIGE TESTS SPEAKING > (4~S:minutes) Introduction and (getting to knowr you) interview Examiner: Good morning. My name's .. And your name is...? And you're from ...? Can I see your passport please? Thank you. Who do you live with in ...? Can you describe your room to me? What do you do to relax in the evenings? Do you like playing sport? Do you enjoy studying English? Can you remember your first English lesson? What do you plan to do after this speaking test? Thank you. > (2-4 minutes) Individual long turn (monologue) Examiner: Now Tim going to give you a card with some information about SPORTING EVENTS ‘You will have one minute to read the card and then I’d like you to talk about SPORTING EVENTS for one or two minutes. You can make some notes to help you if you wish. All right? [Eipeesed ew heconble ‘sporting event that you participated in or watched. You should say: ‘what the event was ‘why the event is memorable how you felt at the event and describe whether or not winning or losing is a significant memory. Examiner: Would you like to start now? You give your talk and after 1 or 2 minutes the examiner will ask you a question or two, Do you often go to sporting events? } Are you very compatitive? ‘Thank you. > BXSEEF 4-5 minutes) two-way discussion (more abstract conversation) : Now I'd like to ask you a few more questions. * Governments allocate large amounts of money to sporting events such as the Olympics. Do you agree with this spending? Can or should sport play a significant role in developing international relations? The idea of sportsmanship has changed over the years. Should professional sports- players act in a particular way? * A significant amount of money and time is spent on testing for the use of drugs in sport. How important is this? * Large companies now sponsor major sporting events and teams, Can this sponsorship Jead to problems? ‘* What do you think the future of international sports will be? Tate Ces sly ot cs SCeSee - 68°ERAGTIGE TEST 45 LISTENING See w OWS C SEO) Listen to two students talking about libraries in Australia. (Choose the correct letter from A~D for each answer. Example: Why is Yumi worried? A. She's anew student, B_ She doesn't know very much about libraries. © She hasn't used a library much. D She has a lot of assignments. ANSWER: B 1 Who advised Yumi to join the local library? A her flatmate B Mary Ann © the librarian D Mary Ann and Yum s flatmate 2 What items cannot be borrowed from the local library? A B c Choose the correct answers from A ~ C for each answer. 3 If Yumirretums a book two days after the loan period has ended, A. she will have to pay a fine. B she will have to pay 10 cent © it won't cost her anything. 4 Whyhasn't Yumi been to the university library yet? A. She couldn't attend the orientation activities, B_ She has been sick all week. © She had to go to her lecture. aed z a Practice Test + + 69°404 Essential Tess for IELTS Label the map of the library below. ‘Choose the correct letter from A-E for each answer. Complete the sentence below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for your answer. 10 Yumi should borrow Recommended Texts from the library as soon as possible.Practice Test 4 Cras 20 Complete the summary of International Driving Licenses below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Intemational Driving Licenses cannot be used in the (17) . . They may only be used in some countries for (18) 5 . Drivers using International Driving Licenses must obey tho (19). .. of the country that they are driving in. The driver must be responsible for learning the rules of the host country, because if they break the rules, they may be (20) Eee MICU SIC I Crna Complete the chart below. Match the advantages of joining a learning circle (I~ V1) to the person. NOTE: there are more advantages listed than you will need. Advantages of a learning circle I commits to other students with a shared purpose TI can provide motivation to study I commits time to study IV can provide help with understanding subject material V__ can provide support for other students ‘VI__ saves the cost of an expensive tutor “me404 Essential Tests fr IELTS. 5 a Choose the correct letter from A ~C for each answer. 25 The purpose of studying past exam papers isto ‘A dowell in the end of term exam, B contribute to the learning circle. © compare answers of past papers with other students. 28 By doing mock tutorials in the learning circle, the students hope to A. practise by themselves first. B_ help each other by giving practical advice. © gain self-confidence, 27 Hamish advises Anitato A_ make a list of objectives for the first learning circle. B commit to the learning circle and then get a tutor. € trial the learning circle first, ‘Choose the correct letter from A-D, 28 When was/is the first learning circle study session? last week next week ‘Thursday, 6" August this evening Choose TWO letters from A~E. vawD 29 & 30 Which two activities are most likely to be discussed at the next learning circle? past exam papers learning styles lecture notes reading comprehension how to re-write lecture notes muamD SNE OU SIC (Complete the notes below, Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. ; omen z 5 lives on a windy farm - ici lie ai - a icien ssive (32)Practice Test 4 ‘Complete the time-line below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. 48 metres: 43.6 metres 9). Complete the sentence below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for your answer. 40 Possible sources of future income for the speaker include: 5 -73- © tourists visiting the ‘wind farm’, : toState Electricity Commission. oe404 Essential Tests for IELTS ERAGTIGE TESE4= READING (Questions 1 - 13 are based on Reading Passage 1 ee HOME - THE NEW WORKPLACE = (One of the scourges of the modem world is the length of time we take commuting to and from work. In large cities this can mean losing three or more hours every day just traveling from home to work and back again. Surely there is an alternative! Well, according to a survey conducted in the US, 22% of People would much prefer working from home, should circumstances allow, Liz Sewell spoke to several people who have already made the change to this modern-day workplace to try and find out more. READIN! E Scott Miller is a 40-year-old draughtsman who has been working from home for the past two years. He admits that it wasn’t something that he craved for; rather it happened when his wife, Jules, a university lecturer, was offered a full-time position. “She didn't think that she could take the job. I knew that she really wanted it, but she didn't want to put our son into full-time care. I had been working for the same firm for seven years and decided to approach my bosses. My track record probably helped because they accepted the proposition. As long as my productivity was maintained, they didn't mind where I worked. Also my wife is happy, and her career is blossoming," “Now I go into the office every Monday afternoon for a meeting and to pick up my week's work Interestingly, I feel that I work even better from home, so much so that even though our son is now at school, I still work there. However, is working from home as simple as it sounds? Transferring work to a different workplace is only part of the equation for Joanne McCarthy, who until three months ago was a Human Resources ‘Manager for a large public corporation. She has now become a full-time trader on the stock market. She says she loves the freedom that working from home gives her, but she really misses the social interaction. “As my job just involves working for myself, by mysolf, I find that I have become much more introverted because I don't have that face-to-face, professional involvement with people any more. I spend all day on the computer checking the prices of my stocks. By evening, I am desperate to talk to my husband - even ifit is only about what he has been doing all day.” She has realized that this could jeopardise her attempts to work from home and has decided to join a local investors’ club which meets once a week, just to get more interaction in her life. “'I don't think Tl leam anything from it, but it will be nice to meet with like-minded people and talk business. ‘Meeting friends for coffee or for lunch meets my social needs, but work is still a large part of my life.” ‘One of Joanne's friends helped her to make the transition to working from home. Louise Tate is an accountant and used to commute an hour each way to her office before deciding there had to be a better way. For her, the biggest problem with working from home was distractions. “It was so easy to get distracted by the other things you have to do at home, like washing and cleaning,” she told us. “Thad to force myself to view my study as an office, not part of the house. So I came up with a novel idea - my husband thought Iwas mad, but I had a separate entrance built to the office. At the begin- ning of my workday, I go out of the front door of our house, lock it, and then walk around to the office. Now I feel that I am really at work, and my productivity has increased as a result. I know it sounds strange, but it works for me." Twelve months down the track and Louise never wants to face the moming traffic again. People choose to work from home for a multitude of reasons, Take the example of George Mercer, who owns seven cafés within a 7 mile radius of downtown Miami. He has based his office in hig Fort Lauderdale beachfront home, and keeps in contact with his various managers by phone, fax and email. “When I started the business four years ago, [couldn't decide which café to have as my main ‘ase, so I decided to set up my office at home. With modem telecommunications nowadays, I am always able to contact my premises and order provisions from my suppliers." +74: =Practice Test 4 “If got fed up with working from home, or if there are problems that have to be dealt with in person, just jump in the car and drive to the cafés. From time to time, we have meetings at my place, which give the managers a break from their own ‘offices’. They get a change of scenery. Istill have control but they have a large amount of independence in the day-to-day running of the cafés. I love my job and it’s obvious that my managers respond well to the arrangement. Life's great at the moment and Twouldn’t change a thing!” Obviously, not everyone is able to have the type of work that can be done from home, but there are plenty of people just like me — judging by Internet sites and the more traditional employment vacancy ads - who would jump at the chance. Using information from Reading Passage 1, match the people listed (A~F) in the box below with their descriptions (Questions 1 - 8). Write your answers in boxes 1-8 on your Answer Sheet. NOTE: there are more descriptions than people. You may use any of the choices more than once. ‘Scott Miller | Joanne McCarthy Louise Tate | George Mercer ! None of the above | All of the above | sm Ua wD needs tobe good at maths. isnot self-employed. has been working from home for the longest period. .. altered their house to be able to work at home. . doesn’t need to interact with clients to carry out their business. ‘thinks that they are less successful working from home. helped someone else to retain his/her career. lives on the coast. evoanune oe aE ‘Choose the correct letter from A-D for each answer and write it in boxes 9- 13 on your Answer Sheet. 9 Scott Miller had always wanted to work from home. no longer has the original reason for working from home, had difficulty persuading his employer to let him do it. only visits the office for staff meetings vaup 10 Joanne McCarthy A. sometimes has regrets about working from home. B_ enjoys talking about her work with her husband. € is still learning her business. Dis determined to ensure that working from home satisfies her. “75+404 Essential Tests fr IELTS 11 Louise Tate A got angry with he nd about B hadtohavea .ge of minds ome c domes D home. 12 George Mercer A does all hi ess using munications. B y only seos his mar 1d meetings © lives less than 7 miles fron afés, D None of the above. 13 The writer of this article A isenvious of these being able to work from home. B_ works from homo herself © doesn't give her opinion on the subjec ne in the future, EE eee) Questions 14 - 26 are based on Reading Passage 2 HEIMER'S DISEASE Alzheimer’ disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease which is caused by physiological changes to the brain. It changes the delicate organisation of the nerve cells in the brain by creating the gradual spread of sticky plaques and clumps of tangled fibres. As brain cells stop communicating with each other, they atrophy, causing memory and reasoning to fade. Tangles and plaques first appear in the entorhinal cortex, an essential memory-processing centre needed for creating memories and retrieving old ones. This does not affect detailed complex memories, but rather the simple recollections of facts that allow us to function socially, such as birthdays and lunch dates. Over time they move higher, invading the hippocampus, that part of the brain that forms complex memories of events or objects. These kinds of memories are, of essity, more detailed and involve longer recollections. It allows us to recall how to function at work and complete reasonably complex tasks but without the need to analyse or make judgements. Finally, the hh the top of the brain or the neocortex, the executive that sorts through stimuli orchestrates behaviour, Here, amongst other functions, we are using analytical skills to evaluate, respond to situations appropriately. tangles and plaques re Area of the brain where Alzheimer'sis believed to begin “76+Practice Test 4 The onset of the disease is characterised by an initial memory decline and, over several years, it destroys cognition, personality and the ability to function, but preserves motor function, Confusion and restlessness may also occur. It is a progressive disease and the type, severity, sequence and progression of any mental changes that occur vary widely. The early symptoms of Alzheimer’ which include forgetfulness and loss ‘of concentration, can easily be missed because they resemble the natural signs of aging, Similar symptoms can also result from fatigue, grief, depression, illness, vision or hearing loss, the use of alcohol or certain medications, or simply the burden of too many details to remember at once. A cure is not imminent, there is no way to deter the progression of the disease and its precise cause is largely mysterious. On average, 10% of people over 65 will contract Alzheimer’ disease, a number that rises to 50% by the age of 80. Its ‘onset may occur as early as the age of 40. Approximately 100,000 victims die and 360,000 new cases of Alzheimer’ disease are diagnosed each year. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 14 million Americans will have this disease. Much current knowledge about this illness comes from a single piece of ongoing research: The Nun Study. Since 1986, David Snowdon, a scientist from the University of Kentucky, has been studying 678 School Sisters. To Snowdon, this group of elderly women represented an ideal population for studying the disease: their economic status, health care and living conditions are uniform with fewer variations in lifestyle to confound the data. Of course, the very homogeneity of this population means Snowdon’ study has its detractors — for example, the nuns face few of the stresses of modern life, nor do they smoke or drink. Some of the factors that lead to Alzheimer’ disease may not be present in their lives, But whatever the limits, Dr Snowdon’ study has achieved a 68% compliance rate among the sisters in that religious community, and continues after death with post-mortem examinations of their brains, and thus promising much valuable information. Over the years, Snowdon and his colleagues have discovered a series of unexpected links between lifestyle and Alzheimer’s disease. It has been known for some time that genes can predispose people to Alzheimer’s disease, but Snowdon’ study has shown that other factors play an important part in the development of this dreadful disease. Some of the results of the study have been widely publicised. The study found that those nuns whose carly autobiographies contained complex grammar and a greater density of ideas had the lowest risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This result that isolates complexity in writing as a protector against Alzheimer’ disease suggests a correlation between higher brain capacity and lowered risk. Preliminary studies also seemed to indicate that those nuns whose early autobiographies suggested a predisposition to negative emotions had a higher risk of Alzheimer’ disease than those who were more optimistic in the way they conveyed their written ideas. Other important findings of the study include the fact that stroke increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Evidence of stroke, including those undiagnosed before death, as ‘well as earlier brain trauma, as from head injury, was more prevalent in those nuns who died of Alzheimers Disease than in those who died without that diagnosis. Dr Snowdon’ research also confirms the suspicion that folate deficiency might contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. High folate levels appear to have been protective in these nuns, This ties in with other studies which have shown that folic acid deficiency plays a role in some forms of mental retardation in children and in some cognitive problems in adults. [New research is showing that the decline in cognitive function may start sooner than previously thought Scientists suggest that a condition known as mild cognitive impairment, in which patients in their forties and fifties exhibit memory and recall problems, is very likely the first step along the way to Alzheimer’s disease, If so, then it is important to start slowdown strategies as soon as possible. Glossary: ‘The entorhinal cortex, the hippocampus and the neocortex are those parts of ‘the brain that are primarily affected by Alzheimer’s disease. plaque - fibre-like substance which multiplies in the brain of Alzheimer's sufferers, folate- is water-soluble vitamin B occurring naturally in foods such as leafy ‘green vegetables, some fortified cereals and grain products. “77+404 Essential Tests for ELTS (QuesteeORE Using information from Reading Passage 2 match the physiological causes (A ~C) in the box below with the effects on memory (Questions 14 - 17). Write your answers in boxes 14-17 on your Answer Sheet. PHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSES A tangles and plaques in the entorhinal cortex B, tangles and plaques in the hippocampus € tangles and plaques in the neocortex 14 difficulty recalling what you ate for breakfast this morning 15 difficulty completing a detailed work related report 16 su. difficulty remembering someone's name 7 difficulty in using the photocopying machine at work (Quectiona18=20 Complete the summary by using words and phrases from the list provided in the box below, Write your answers in boxes 18-24 on your Answer Sheet. NOTE: there are more words than you need. You may use any word or phrase more than once. functions: victims / future examined F f slowed short term been indicating movement | decreased gets smaller characteristics siscovered | Alzheimer’s disease is an illness that robs its victims of memory, personality and finally all Cognitive function. It does not affect (18) .i.0uinnnm + Ttis impossible to predict how the disease will progress because its (19) ...... vary greatly. Diagnosis in the early stages is difficult because symptoms resemble the consequences of normal aging and can also be the result of a number of other unrelated ailments, There is no hope for a cure in the (20) and once someone has the disease, its progression cannot be (21) - The percentage of people contracting Alzheimer's disease increases with age. Ongoing research has been conducted in the form of The Nun Study which has (22) the physiological changes and lifestyles of 678 nuns in America from 1986. The study has been criticised because some of the factors that may lead to Alzheimer's disease were (23) inthe nuns' lives. Nonetheless the study provides invaluable data, The study has isolated connections between lifestyle and Alzheimer's disease that occur independently of (24) ‘BePractice Test 4 Complete the information below by identifying TWO other indicators that protect from Alzheimer’s disease. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading Passage 2 for each answer. ‘The Nun Study Indicators that protect from Alzheimer's disease: | * higher complexity in writing © (25) ‘+ no history of head trauma or stroke Eee ‘Questions 27 - 40 are based on Reading Passage 3. GLOBALI$ATION. For many, the surprise of finding a McDonalds outlet in Moscow or Beijing provides no greater symbol of the spread of globalisation. Used to explain all manner of economic, cultural and political change that has swept over the world in recent decades, globalisation is a term that continues to cause intellectual debate. Some see it as inevitable and desirable, but it is a conten- tious issue with an increasing number of individual citizens around the world questioning whether or not the implications of globalisation, in terms of international distribution of income and decreasing poverty, are effective. ‘The beginning of globalisation is inextricably linked to technological improvements in the field of international communications and a fall in the cost of international transport and travel. Entrepreneurs and power-brokers took advantage of these advances to invest capital into foreign countries. This became the basic mechanism for globalisation with the trading of currencies, stocks and bonds growing rapidly. Breaking down the barriers through the free movement of capital, free trade and political co- operation was seen as a positive move that would not only increase living standards around the world, but also raise political and environmental awareness, especially in developing countries. Predictions were that nations would become more outward-looking in their policy-making, as they searched for opportunities to increase economic growth. Roles would be assigned to various players around the globe as capital providers, exporters of technology, suppliers of services, sources of labour, etc. Consequently, countries and economies could concentrate on what they were good at and as a result, markets would experience increased efficiency. The process of economic globalisation was without doubt led by commercial and financial power-brokers but there were many others who supported the integration of world economies. ‘As multinational companies searched for new work-forces and raw materials, non-government +79404 Essential Tests fr IELTS organizations and lobby groups were optimistic that in the wake of global business, indigenous cultures might be given a reprieve with an injection of foreign capital. This would, in turn, provide local employment opportunities. By spreading trade more evenly between developed and developing nations, it was touted that poverty would decrease and living standards would rise. Governments saw the chance to attract multinational companies with tax-breaks and incentives to set up in-country, effectively buying employment opportunities for their constituents. By the late 1990s, some trepidation started to surface and globalisation faced its most public setback. The spectacular economic collapses in Korea, Brazil, Thailand and other countries were considered, rightly or wrongly, to be caused by the outwardly-oriented trade policies that globalisation espoused such as the growth of exports. These countries had enjoyed record growth for a relatively short time, but when faced with difficulties, the growth appeared unsustainable. The vulnerability and risk associated with reliance on exports and international markets was made clear. Meanwhile though, through the 1990s and early 2000s, multinational companies continued to do well financially. Profits were increasing, keeping shareholders happy, but the anticipated spin-offs were not being felt at the workers’ level or in local communities in the form of increased employment. These successful companies did not want to share the benefits of the increased efficiency they were receiving as a result of introducing their own work practices. The multinationals were setting their own agendas, with governments, in many cases, turning a blind eye fearing that they might pull out and cause more unemployment. Free trade was now accused of restricting governments, who were no longer seiting the rules, and domestic markets felt increasingly threatened by the power that the multinationals had. The negative consequences of globalisation have now become a concern for many protest groups in different nations. If the concept of globalisation was meant to benefit all nations, they say, then it has failed. Rich countries, like America, continue to grow richer and more powerful with many of the head offices of multinationals based there. The economies of some developing countries though, especially in Africa, are making only negligible if any progress in the war against poverty. As a result, protestors are confronting the advocates of globalisation on their own doorstep as power-players meet at economic summits in already-globalised cities. ‘The International Monetary Fund (IME) maintains that globalisation has succeeded in establishing @ more equitable share of world-trade and remains optimistic that the gulf between rich and Poorer nations, given the right conditions, will be considerably lessened in the future. They Point out that no country can afford to opt out of globalisation and, indeed, would be foolish to attempt to do so. They maintain that ‘non-globalising developing countries’ have made slower progress than “globalising developing countries” in the past two decades. Moreover, they suggest that developing countries with huge debts be assisted so that their economies can catch up with richer countries and integrate more effectively at an international level. Regardless of what IMP affirms, if the benefits of globalisation are to be more evenly spread, the goal of reducing world poverty needs to be re-prioritised. If this means imposing rules and standards on multinational companies that are acceptable internationally, then this will need to be done sooner rather than later. At this stage, the multinationals and their shareholders appear to be the only winners. The backlash against globalisation has already begun. ee = 80+Practice Test 4 “Cueeous SY 86 Look at the following statements (Questions 27 - 34) and decide ifthey agree with the opinion ofthe writer in Reading Passage3. Write your answers in boxes 27 - 34 on your Answer Sheet. Indicate: Gn YES NO ifthe statement agrees with the writer's opinion if the statement does not agree with the writer's opinion NOTGIVEN _ if the writer's opinion is not given in the text, 27 28 29 30 31 32 8 Answer ‘Technical advances were vital in the growth and expansion of globalisation. ‘World economic growth increases if countries concentrate on what they do best. ‘Motivated by employment opportunities, foreign governments invited multinational companies to their shores. ‘Outward-oriented government policies alone could not guarantee ESRF 4-5 minutes) introduction and (getting to know you) interview Examiner: Good morning. My name's... And your name is ...? And you're from. Can I see your passport please? Thank you. What do you like about living in [your present country] ...? Can you tell me about your last vacation? Who do you like travelling with? Where would you like to travel to in the future? What sort of music do you like? Is music important to you? Do you like the same kind of music as your family? ‘Thank you. > BREEZY 6-4 minutes) Individual long tum (monologue) Examiner: Now I'm going to give you a card with some information about ADVERTISING. You will have one minute to read the card and then I'd like you to talk about ADVERTISING for one or two minutes. You can make some notes to help you if you wish, All right? | Describe an advertisement that you have seen recently. You should say: what the advertisement was about | where you saw or heard the advertisement | how effective the advertisement was .--and explain how you felt about the advertisement. Examiner: Would you like to start now? ‘You give your talk and after 1 or 2 minutes the examiner will ask you a question or two. What's the most popular form of advertising in your country? ‘Would you like to work for an advertising company? ‘Thank you. > EXSY 4—S minutes) two-way discussion (more abstract conversation) Examiner: Now I'd like to ask you a few more questions. Is there too much advertising? ‘Do you agree that advertisements for smoking and drinking alcohol should be banned? Certain products can only be advertised in restricted time-slots on television, Is this sort of restriction necessary? i What role does advertising play in your society? How has advertising contributed to globalisation? ‘How might advertising change in the future? Thank you very much. That's the end of the speaking test. Goodbye, - 83+Append? ANSWER KEYS 14 15 16 17 18 19. 20 21 22, 23 24 25 26 27 £203 17 no under 26 / less than 26 locals / local people satisfied / OK (British) students (too) many / big careful the culture / the food International Student Advisor learning / study groups ‘Student IT Department Housing Officer / Accommodation Officer International Department personal and/or financial B D E Gi core starts to die explode / collapse gravity / gravitational field black holes debris / materials (mature) groon under/below/up to/less than 24 within 24 hours colour / colouring (process) variation ‘carbon dioxide / ethylene gas ethylene gas / carbon dioxide FALSE FALSE TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN TRUE TRUE NB: 21 22, 23 24 26 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 28 29 30 31 32, 33 34 35 36 37. 32 39 + answor words in brackets aro optional * alternative answers are separated with a stroke ( / ) A B AoE EorA CorD Dorc Early Childhood the differences / how they differ not leamed / innate in person higher exam performance / results sleep / sleeping / sleeplessness controlled thought / thinking } organised vary / change / be different marks / weighting relaxed (effective) study skills 0 1 v Vv mass tourism the benefits / the advantages low-key / smaller-scale developments unethical tour operators / ecotourism operators nature itself / nature alone / natural attractions vouw Answrere to exorcise on page 125: prior 2 focus 3 speculate 4glossary_§ logical Gparephrase 7assess 8 recommendAnswer Keys Ee meee Example answers are given for Practice Test 1 in this book. Model answers for Test 2, 3 and 4 can be found in the accompanying Study Guide to the 404 Essential Tests for IELTS. Task 1 ‘The table in Task 1 identifies the twelve most popular tourist attractions in the United Kingdom in 1999 | and 2000. ‘The table clearly shows that the two newest paid-admission attractions, The Millennium Dome and ‘The British Airways London Eye, were the most popular in 2000 with an estimated 6,516,874 and 3,300,000 visitors respectively. 1n.2000, all of the other attractions with the exception of The Victoria and Albert Museum and Flamingo Land had lower numbers than in 1999. The most significant decrease was experienced at the Science ‘Museum (-9.8%) followed closely by Madame Tussaud’s (-9.5%). However, Madame Tussaud’s still remains one of the top four UK paid attractions with over two million visitors in 2000. The least significant change was experienced at Chessington World of Adventures which had 1,500,000 paid visitors in 2000 and 1,550,000 in 1999. ‘There does not appear to be any correlation to falling numbers in city or regional areas. (153 words) Task 2 Discuss when, if ever, capital punishment can be viewed as a valid punishment for crime. | ny pci sta ant = neon Ol pontoon va ece ot punishment. In my opinion, it can be justified as a penalty when three conditions are present. In this se a et eet ae The rules of society are made and enforced for the purpose of protecting its members. In cases where the murder that has been committed is so frightful that society cannot allow the perpetrator back into its fold, then the death penalty may be the only answer. For example, crimes against humanity such as genocide; terrorist attacks which have resulted in many lives lost. If the offender shows no remorse at all and is incapable of feeling any shame for his terrible actions, the only solution may be death. In these cases, it is clear that the offender cannot be rehabilitated. Another important consideration is to ensure to the best of everyone's ability that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. If someone is punished with imprisonment, and later foundl to be innocent, he can be released from prison. However, when the punishment is death, it is impossible to make amends, There have been a number of examples in history where aman was found to be innocent after being hanged, In conclusion, I believe that it is important to consider three main issues. The crime must be so bad that it would be impossible to welcome the perpetrator back into society. There must be no hope that the perpetrator can ever be rehabilitated back into society. There must be no doubt as to the perpetrator's guilt. In any situation that does not contain these components, I believe it is morally wrong to impose the death penalty.Appendix 1 ox7e908 2 2,5/5,2/ May 2nd / 2nd May 3d? Roekatord Peres a een sean 7 pay/ salary / money Hees 8 Gang) same aS 5s iy sei Gee / 8) Gs So iA 2A oS eee is Dae 16 (nearest) police station 17, Gea mee arte 18 café / (nearest) shop 19 detailed / full description 20 Ceca es 1 conditions / standard(s) 2 (general) ill-health / disease 3 eamings / productivity / production / income ae sox 6 age 7 rallon 8 anticipated 9 B Ges naa non aoa 14 YES SNOT OIvEN 6 YES a es nat ails oh ace ai casas 22) tae 23 small / normal asa baa 25 (false) hope 26 appropriate = (possible) alternative treatment (options) / treatment options 21 22, 23 24 25 28 27 28 23 20 S>wUaQ>>pmO 91 beginning and completion/ending/end 32 aschedule 33 four stages 34 developing a plan / planning a project 35 realistically 96 help / advice (from others / other people) 97 Gant Chart 98. Standard of Delivery 39 (the) Quality Assurance 40 (the / your / this week's) tutorials 28 greenhouse gases 29 (Rarth’s) albedo 30 cumulus 31 deforestation / land clearing 22 8 ag) 34 B eas 36 FALSE 37 FALSE 38 NOTGIVEN 39 TRUE 40 NOT GIVEN Example answers are given for Practice Test 1 in this book. Model answers for Test 2, 3 and 4 can be found in the accompanying Study Guide to the 404 Essential Tests for IELTS.1 2 3 I Block 4 C Block 5 student canteen / Student Canteen 6 have an interview / be interviewed 7 2pm. /2o'clock / 2:00 / 2.00 8 9 0 PASTEL 0412 987 36 10 BI690011 aller} 2. 1Gau As 14 9* September 15 music / opera 16 Festival Cub 17 14® September 18 Performing Arts Centre 19 City Football Club 20 Under the Stars 1 fox 2 1988 3 monitoring the Intemet / monitoring of Internet / Internet monitoring a oom peu 7 Bear: om 12 terrorists 13 firewalls “oc 16°C 16 A 19 TRUE, 20 21 VII 22 23 VI 24 25° VII 26 1 27 VN Answer Keys ZIsaG! 22 329,758 23 about/over/more than 3 million 24 75% | % of population 25 friendly and warm 26 continuing to grow / growing 27 US, Japan 28 tourism / number of tourists 29 education and technology 30 Eastern and Western 31 thousands of years 32 has (been) grown 33 CorE 34 Bor 35 CorE 36 EorC 37 dried fruit(s) 38 seaweed 39 cereals 40 wwwivegsoc.org 28 degradation 29 land clearing 30 had adapted 31 water 32 water table 33. surface 34 recharge zone 35 warming signs 36 NO 37 NOTGIVEN 38 YES 39 NO 40 YES Example answers are given for Practice Test 1 in this book. Model answers for Test 2, 3 and 4 can be found in the accompanying ‘Study Guide to the 404 Essential Tests for IELTS. +871 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 they are popular / of their popularity 11 since 1949 12 15.25 13 white 14 signature 15 Internet 16 $80 17 home country / country of issue 18 allimited time/period /a year 19 road rules 20 fined / penalized as Ci ane oy aac 5 B 6 E 7s 8 D 9: 1B: 10 D 1 12D 13 OA 4A do: iG: 16 A 17.8, 19 characteristics 20 short term 21 slowed 22 examined 23° absent 24 genetic predisposition 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 23 29 30 31 32, 33 34 36 36 37 38 39 40 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 7 38 39 40 25 predisposition to optimism / optimism in writing 26 high folate levels Bor CorB the state / the government / the grid noi moderately windy sites /less windy sites 1984 diesel generator(s) Danes / Danish Height / height 1,000,000 / 1.000000 /1 million twice / two times selling power (back) ‘YES NOT GIVEN YES YES NOT GIVEN NO YES NOT GIVEN Ome soDp Example answers are given for Practice Test 1 in this book. Model answers for Test 2, 3 and 4 can be found in the accompanying Study Guide to the 404 Essential Tests for IELTS,